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Accepts assistance

Affordable Daycare in Michigan

Full-time care at a center costs a median of $136 a week for a baby and $135 for a preschooler in the middle Michigan county (2022). Families who qualify can get help paying through the Child Development and Care (CDC) scholarship, and the daycares listed here accept it.

daycares that accept child care assistance listed
123
towns
77
towns have their own affordable daycare page
9
of all Michigan daycares
2%

Map of Michigan: each dot is a town with daycares that accept child care assistance, sized by how many are listed

Accepts assistance
What puts a daycare on this listThe state record says it accepts child care subsidies, or it says it accepts child care assistance or vouchers.The Michigan license list we load does not record subsidies, so here this list has daycares that say they accept child care assistance.Accepting assistance says nothing about a daycare's own prices. A daycare without this tag may still accept assistance; ask.

Cost and help paying

What daycare costs in Michigan, and help paying for it

Infant care at a center, per week, in the middle Michigan county (2022)
$136
The median of 83 county medians, from $107 in the lowest county to $228 in the highest.
Preschool-age care at a center, per week, in the middle Michigan county (2022)
$135
The median of 83 county medians, from $96 in the lowest county to $224 in the highest.
Head Start or Early Head Start centers in Michigan
427
Free for children from birth to 5 in families who qualify, by income or because they receive public assistance.
How to apply: Child Development and Care (CDC) scholarshipHead Start in MichiganDaycare cost in Michigan, by age and county

County prices: U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices, 2022 (median full-time weekly price).

Michigan

Largest towns for affordable daycare in Michigan

Grand Rapids10 accept assistanceDetroit8 accept assistanceKalamazoo5 accept assistanceAnn Arbor3 accept assistanceCanton3 accept assistanceHolland3 accept assistanceLansing3 accept assistanceOkemos3 accept assistanceWarren3 accept assistanceBrownstown2 accept assistanceFarmington Hills2 accept assistanceFlint2 accept assistance

Programs

Programs in Michigan

Counts come from the state record and what each daycare says it offers. A daycare without a tag may still offer the program; ask.

ProgramListed
All daycares7,685
Take infants376
Child care centers4,534
Accept subsidy123
In-home daycares3,151
Christian & church daycares409
Montessori schools161
Preschools & pre-K956
Early morning daycare534
Part-time daycare208
Drop-in daycare56
Bilingual daycare14
Head Start427

The Michigan state record

Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, Child Care Licensing Bureau licenses daycares in Michigan.

License list
The state's public list of licensed child care
Ages served
On some licenses only; elsewhere shown where the daycare gives them
Inspections
On the state's own site; each listing links to it
Search the Michigan state records

Before you enroll

Paying for daycare in Michigan

  1. 1

    Apply for assistance first

    Your state decides who qualifies and how much it pays. Apply through the state's child care assistance office before you choose a daycare.

  2. 2

    Ask about the copayment

    Most families pay a share of the cost. Ask the daycare whether it charges more than the state pays, and how much.

  3. 3

    Ask about open subsidy spots

    Some daycares cap how many children on assistance they take. Ask whether a spot is open now.

  4. 4

    Check the license record

    Open a listing for its state license and, where the state publishes it, the inspection record.

Michigan

Cost, inspections and ratios in Michigan

Daycare cost in MichiganWeekly prices by age and countyStaff-to-child ratios in MichiganHow many children each adult may care forDaycare tour checklistQuestions to ask when you visit

A to Z

All 77 Michigan towns with affordable daycare, A to Z

A2 towns
B4 towns
C8 towns
D4 towns
F5 towns
G3 towns
H7 towns
I1 town
J1 town
K2 towns
L4 towns
M5 towns
N5 towns
O3 towns
P3 towns
R3 towns
S8 towns
T3 towns
W5 towns
Y1 town

Nearby

Nearby states

Indiana2,591 accept assistanceWisconsin92 accept assistanceOhio15 accept assistance

Questions

Questions about affordable daycare in Michigan

How many daycares that accept child care assistance are in Michigan?

123 daycares that accept child care assistance are listed in 77 Michigan towns. Accepting assistance says nothing about a daycare's own prices. A daycare without this tag may still accept assistance; ask.

Which Michigan town has the most daycares that accept child care assistance?

Grand Rapids, with 10 listed. Next are Detroit (8) and Kalamazoo (5).

How do I apply for child care assistance in Michigan?

Apply through the Child Development and Care (CDC) scholarship, run by the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). It is for low-income working families who need help paying for child care and meet the scholarship program requirements. Income limits change each year, so check the current limits on the state's site.

Is there free daycare?

Some families can get it. Head Start and Early Head Start are free for children from families who qualify, and some states waive the family's share of the cost for the lowest incomes. Ask your state's child care assistance office what you qualify for.

Does a daycare that accepts assistance cost more?

Not by itself. Accepting assistance means the daycare takes payments from the state program; its own prices vary like any daycare's. Ask whether it charges more than the state pays, and how much you would pay.

How does child care assistance work?

Each state runs a child care assistance program, paid for in part by the federal Child Care and Development Fund. Families who qualify by income, and usually by working, looking for work or going to school, get help paying a daycare that accepts it; the help is often called a voucher or subsidy. Most families pay a share called a copayment, set by the state. Apply through the Michigan child care assistance office.

Can I get free daycare?

Some families can. States may waive the copayment for families with the lowest incomes, and Head Start and Early Head Start are free for families who qualify. Ask your state's child care assistance office what you qualify for.

Who licenses daycares in Michigan?

Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, Child Care Licensing Bureau licenses daycares in Michigan. It publishes inspections on its own site; use the state search linked on this page.