Early Educator Wage Initiative
Wage Boost
Program Update
The Southwest Michigan Early Childhood Educator Wage Boost Initiative is currently active, but new applications are no longer being accepted.
The program is supporting early childhood educators across the region through monthly wage supplements funded by a $1.6 million grant from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) and the Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District.
The grant was awarded to Pulse at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research as part of Michigan’s broader $16 million Early Childhood Educator Wage Initiative, which focuses on strengthening the child care workforce and improving long-term wage stability for early childhood professionals.
Impact Across Southwest Michigan
Through a regional application process completed in 2025, 216 early childhood educators from 33 child care centers were selected to receive wage supplements across the following counties:
• Berrien County
• Branch County
• Calhoun County
• Cass County
• Kalamazoo County
Participating educators include:
• 152 full-time educators
• 64 part-time educators
These stipends will continue through August 2027.