Impact of COVID-19 on Michigan Child Care Programs: A Qualitative Analysis

Background: A substantial proportion of families rely on child care programs to provide critical early education and care for their infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the child care system was severely disrupted as many programs were forced to reduce capacity or close. The pandemic’s impact on Michigan’s individual child care center programs’ practices during the pandemic was unknown.

Methods: To qualitatively examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on licensed child care programs’ operational practices in the state of Michigan.

Results: A total of 346 child care programs (70%) responded. The majority of respondents were owners or directors (69%) from family programs (57%), centers (30%) and preschools (10%). COVID-19 impacted programs substantially: 59% closed and 20% decreased capacity; 27% changed disinfecting protocols; and 25% required additional pandemic supplies. We identified five major themes that directly related to how programs changed operations during the COVID-19 pandemic: 1) changes in learning 2) changes in socialization 3) increased burden on families 4) center financial challenges 5) lack of guidance. (Table 1).

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic substantially impacted Michigan’s child care programs and their families. Programs were forced to make significant changes in their practices to adapt. The pandemic demonstrated a clear need for early, structured guidelines tailored for child care to assist providers in making key operational changes. Federal funding was instrumental in providing a financial lifeline that allowed child care programs to stay open.