When parents in MI-89 cannot find or afford reliable childcare, it is not only a private hardship. It is a drag on local businesses, workforce participation, family budgets, and the broader West Michigan economy.
District 89 includes parts of Kent, Ottawa, and Muskegon counties, not all three counties. The official district map distinguishes its boundaries from the wider regional economy. A 2023 childcare economic-impact report estimates Michigan’s annual losses at $2.9 billion; that is a statewide estimate, not a measured loss for District 89.
This is not abstract. It affects teachers, nurses, factory workers, small-business owners, and the next generation of talent that West Michigan needs to grow.
The Local Reality
West Michigan families face a double bind: high costs and low supply. Waiting lists stretch for months or years. Providers struggle with thin margins, low wages for early educators, and high turnover. When pandemic-era federal supports ended, many programs faced pressure to raise prices or close seats. The result is predictable: fewer parents fully participating in the workforce, constrained business growth, and families stretched thin.
Housing shortages and childcare shortages compound each other. Families who cannot find care near home or work face longer commutes or decide one parent must stay home—reducing household income just as housing costs remain elevated.
A Contrast in Approaches
The campaign homepage reviewed on September 25, 2026 emphasizes parental rights, local control, and reducing government. That page did not provide a detailed childcare supply or affordability proposal. This describes the page reviewed, not every statement Moss may have made.
Practical solutions do not require government to raise children. They require treating accessible, quality childcare as essential infrastructure—like roads or broadband—that enables parents to work and businesses to thrive.
What Other States Are Doing—and the Economic Payoff
Other states have changed how they fund childcare and support providers. Program design, participation, and long-term economic effects are different kinds of evidence.
New Mexico removed income limits for its child care assistance program on November 1, 2025. Its financing includes dedicated state funds. Eligibility expansion is a policy change; it does not by itself demonstrate that every family can find a suitable opening or that the program produces a particular return on investment.
Vermont’s Act 76 became law in 2023 and expanded childcare support. A January 2025 monitoring report recorded 170 additional infant slots in 2024. That supply measure should not be presented as proof of a specific increase in parental employment or statewide economic output.
Michigan’s Tri-Share program splits eligible licensed childcare costs among the employer, employee, and state. The May 26, 2026 announcement reported 300 participating employers and $14 million in cumulative family savings. These are participation and savings figures, not a demonstrated financial return for every employer. The program does not create childcare openings by itself.
These programs use different funding mechanisms and serve different populations. Their results need to be assessed separately, with attention to the period measured, who participated, and whether a reported outcome can be attributed to the policy.
A Practical Path for MI-89
West Michigan does not need to copy any single model wholesale. It can build on what is already working locally—Tri-Share, county-level task forces, and partnerships between businesses, providers, and community organizations—while learning from states that have treated childcare as economic infrastructure with documented returns.
Priorities that align with both family well-being and economic strength include:
- Expanding successful cost-sharing and subsidy approaches so more middle-income working families benefit.
- Raising reimbursement rates so providers can pay competitive wages and stay open.
- Supporting smaller, flexible options (home-based care, microcenters) with practical licensing that maintains safety without unnecessary barriers.
- Encouraging employer partnerships and local innovation while providing the stable public investment needed for scale.
Parents should remain the primary decision-makers for their children. Policy discussions must account for families choosing paid care, relatives providing care, and parents who stay home. Public funding, provider wages, safety standards, and affordable fees create real tradeoffs.