Coalition Information
Working together to improve child care in Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties.
About the Capital Area Child Care Coalition
The Capital Area Child Care Coalition (CACCC) is a regional partnership formed to address the critical challenges families face in accessing affordable, high-quality child care. With support from the ECIC Child Care Innovation Fund, CACCC brings together parents, providers, employers, and local leaders to co-design community-centered solutions.
We believe child care is essential infrastructure—vital to families, foundational to the workforce, and key to economic growth in our region.
To improve the availability, affordability, and quality of child care across Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties through collaborative planning, practical strategies, and community engagement.
CACCC’s work is guided by the Regional Child Care Action Plan, developed with input from more than 250 stakeholders. Key priorities include:
- Increasing access to affordable, flexible care options
- Supporting and expanding the child care workforce
- Reducing regulatory and zoning barriers to expansion
- Aligning child care solutions with local economic development goals
The CACCC has drawn on local data and stakeholder input to create a regional action plan aimed at improving the state of child care in Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties. Key focus areas include:
Pursue State and Local Policy Change
- Support policies that expand access to high-quality early childhood care, especially for lower-income families
- Ease administrative obstacles for existing, new, and expanding providers
- Advocate for wage and benefits parity between early childhood educators and K–12 professionals
Create Business Development Supports
- Centralize technical assistance (TA) resources for providers through a coordinated hub
- Assess and address regulatory barriers to business growth
Strengthen and Expand the Talent Pipeline
- Increase access to early childhood education credentials
- Promote child care careers to grow the workforce
- Equip employers with tools to support their employees’ child care needs
Support and Provide Technical Assistance Within the Child Care Ecosystem
- Build capacity of regional resource centers to act as TA navigators
- Strengthen peer and family-provider relationships across the system
- Families and caregivers of children ages 0–11
- Licensed and home-based child care providers
- Employers and business leaders
- Local governments and economic development organizations
CACCC operates through workgroups, roundtables, and community events to:
- Gather community input and lived experience
- Pilot innovative programs and partnerships
- Share data, resources, and advocacy tools
Looking for more information about CACCC’s structure, goals, or community impact? Explore key documents and publications below:
