By Meegan Zickus
When I talk with families about affordability, I hear about childcare, housing, groceries, and the cost of getting to work. When I talk with small business owners, I hear about finding employees, keeping up with costs, and planning for the future.
Those conversations belong together. A parent who cannot find dependable childcare may have to cut back hours. A business that cannot find workers may have to turn away customers. An employee who cannot afford a home nearby may leave the community. Ottawa County does better when the people who build its economy can afford to live here.
Joe Moss calls himself “pro small business” and says he wants to reduce taxes and strengthen Michigan’s economy. But his published platform says little about how he would help a local employer keep workers who face rising childcare and housing costs. Business owners and working families deserve proposals they can examine and results they can measure.
There are practical ideas already at work. Michigan’s MI Tri-Share program divides eligible childcare costs among an employee, the employer, and the state. In its May 26, 2026 announcement, the state reported that 300 employers had joined and participating families had saved a combined $14 million. It does not reach every family, but it shows what a partnership can do when employers and parents share a problem.
Iowa’s 2025 workforce report records 12 completed childcare projects that created more than 1,400 slots. Minnesota reports more than 4,000 new slots from its grant-supported startups and expansions since July 2023. These are reported capacity outcomes; they do not show how many parents entered employment because of the projects.
Wisconsin’s 2024 workforce report describes employer-driven Fast Forward training grants. Grants awarded and workers trained should be distinguished from sustained employment and wage gains.
I would bring those lessons to Lansing with a practical test: What does the program cost? Can a small business actually participate? Does it create childcare openings, help parents stay employed, or lead to better jobs? If the results fall short, we should adjust the program instead of calling the spending a success.
That approach also means strengthening the partnerships Ottawa County already has between schools and employers, making career training and apprenticeships easier to access, and supporting locally guided housing choices near jobs. It means helping eligible workers claim Michigan’s Earned Income Tax Credit, which can put money back into a family budget without placing the entire cost on their employer.
I believe we must also solve the everyday problems that make it hard for people to work and hard for businesses to grow. A stronger economy should mean a local business can fill its openings, a parent can find care for a child, and both can see a future in Ottawa County.
Employer contributions and application requirements can be harder for a small business to absorb than for a large employer. Any comparison should include administrative costs, eligibility, and whether workers without a participating employer can benefit.