Affordable, quality childcare benefits families and boosts the local economy

This article is part of an ongoing United For Good series highlighting agencies and programs the United Way of Bay County supports.

When you give families access to high-quality, affordable childcare, the entire community benefits.

The United Way of Bay County supports two leading childcare programs in the area – the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Great Lakes Bay Region and the Bay County Child & Senior Citizens Center.

That financial support is crucial, say both Megan Koch from the Boys & Girls Clubs and Peggy Condon-Watson from the Bay County Child & Senior Citizens Center.

Since 1976, Condon-Watson has served as Executive Director of the Bay County Child & Senior Citizens Center located inside the old Fremont Elementary School at 1001 Marsac St.

Since its beginning 50 years ago, the Center has served all families, but especially those facing financial struggles, Condon-Watson says.

“Without the support of United Way, it would have been really hard for us to continue to support these families that need us,” Condon-Watson says. “We’ve received funding from United Way for years and years for the childcare programs and it’s critical. We really rely on the money from United Way.”

Investing in early childhood education and childcare centers leads to major benefits for the economy and business community, adds Ken Roubal, Founder and CEO of Data-Driven Decisions.

Roubal and Data-Driven Decisions is working with the Bay-Arenac ISD and the regional child care coalition (ECMI).

The need is significant. Bay County has 86 licensed child care programs with room for 3,341 children (greatstarttoquality.org). 

“Census data suggest there are about 4,700 children under age 5 in the county, so there are already more young children than licensed early childhood slots. And that number doesn’t include school‑age children who need before‑ and after‑school or summer care, so the real gap between need and available care is even larger,” Roubal says.

If you move outside Bay City, the need is even greater. Of the 86 licensed childcare programs in the county, 60 are in Bay City, Roubal says. Auburn is home to 10 centers, Essexville is home to seven, Pinconning is home to four, Kawkawlin is home to three, and Linwood is home to one, he says.

The issue isn’t just the quantity of open spaces. Quality also matters. 

“A statewide “Untapped Potential” study estimates that child care problems cost Michigan’s economy about $2.88 billion every year through workers missing shifts, leaving jobs, or cutting hours, plus lost tax revenue,” Roubal says. “Employers themselves lose more than $1.2 billion a year because employees can’t count on child care, which is exactly what we hear from local businesses.”

Economist James Heckman’s research shows that high‑quality early childhood programs for children in under‑resourced communities can deliver about a 13% annual return on investment through better education, health, and employment and lower public costs later on, Roubal adds.

Of the 3,341 licensed slots in Bay County, 2,396 are in programs that are actively working on quality in Great Start to Quality’s higher continuous improvement levels; the rest are in programs at the basic “Maintaining Health & Safety” level  (greatstarttoquality.org).

Learn more about the impact of child care on the workforce in this Nov. 6 Confluence Great Lakes Bay article.

The best programs here keep kids safe and well-fed while also offering help with homework, playgrounds that build motor skills, opportunities to learn, and more.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Great Lakes Bay Region

Megan Koch, Director of Resource Development & Marketing Communications for the Boys & Girls Clubs, also says United Way funding is key to the agency’s success.

The Boys & Girls Clubs provides after-school care for kids between 6 and 18 years old at four Bay County locations – 300 W. Lafayette Ave. in Bay City; Verellen Elementary School, 612 Barton Ave. in Essexville; and 201 North St. in Pinconning.

The after-school program runs from when school lets out until 6 or 7 p.m., depending on location. Kids find their way to the clubs via public transportation, school buses, and individual rides.

During the hours the kids are inside the club, they will be offered a snack and a meal, time and space to do homework, help with homework, and recreational programs.

One specific program at the Boys & Girls Clubs, Career Launch, focuses on teens. Teens no longer need traditional childcare centers, but they benefit from life skills and career-readiness programs. 

Koch says Career Launch introduces teens to professionals from a range of occupations. Guest speakers talk about jobs in every field from skilled craftsman to bankers. Along the way, speakers discuss money management and other life skills.

“We want to still give them a space that they can socialize and do things that they might not be able to do at home,” Koch says, adding that she is looking for speakers.

The Boys & Girls Clubs also is applying for grants to expand its teen programs.

“We’re hoping to grow our teen population,” Koch says.

The Bay County Child & Senior Citizens Center

The Center is open from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and has room to enroll more children now. Condon-Watson estimates that between the Marsac Street and Center Avenue locations, the Center serves about 150 families. 

Condon-Watson hesitates to guess how many families the Center has helped since opening its doors in 1975. But she is quick to praise her staff for setting up thousands of kids for success.

“We know that early childcare and early intervention is critical to school achievement,” Condon-Watson says. “When these kids walk out of here and they walk into kindergarten, they’re ready for that experience, and that’s so important. When they walk into kindergarten, they are ready to go.”

She’s also proud of the role the center has played in the local economy. 

“I can leave you with this thought, the whole childcare industry, it’s an educational issue, yes, but it also is a driving economic issue. What in the world would people do without childcare?”When you donate to the United Way of Bay County, your money supports both the Boys & Girls Clubs and the Bay County Children’s & Senior Citizens programs.