July 01, 2026
LANSING, Mich. — For 25 years, the TEACH Early Childhood® Michigan scholarship program has helped early childhood educators across Michigan earn credentials and degrees, advance their careers, and strengthen the quality of care and education available to young children.
As TEACH Early Childhood® Michigan celebrates its 25th anniversary on July 1, state and early childhood leaders are recognizing the program’s lasting impact on Michigan’s workforce, families, and youngest learners.
“The first five years of a child’s life are among the most important for learning and development, and that makes the educators who support young children incredibly important,” said Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea, director of the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). “For 25 years, the TEACH scholarship has helped build a stronger, more qualified early childhood workforce in Michigan. By investing in educators, we are investing in children, families, and the future success of our state.”
Administered by the Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children (Michigan AEYC) and funded by MiLEAP, TEACH helps child care professionals pursue education and professional credentials while continuing to work in early learning settings. The program provides financial support for tuition, books, release time, travel costs and compensation incentives.
Michigan’s 25-year celebration is part of a broader national milestone year for the TEACH Early Childhood® movement, which has supported early childhood educators and workforce development across the country for more than three decades. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Early Years, home of the TEACH Early Childhood® National Center, and the 35th anniversary of the TEACH Early Childhood® scholarship model.
TEACH Early Childhood® Michigan was created to address two long-standing challenges facing the early childhood field: low wages and high staff turnover. The scholarship supports child care center teachers, family child care providers, preschool educators, program directors, and other early childhood professionals seeking credentials or degrees in early childhood education.
Over the past 25 years, the program has made a significant statewide impact. More than $70 million has been invested in Michigan’s early childhood workforce through TEACH Early Childhood® Michigan. To date, the program has supported 15,094 scholarship recipients through 27,141 scholarship contracts, resulting in 188,373 college credit hours earned and 11,585 credentials, degrees, and certifications achieved.
The program has positively impacted an estimated 150,940 Michigan children by strengthening the early childhood workforce that serves them every day.
“When TEACH launched in Michigan 25 years ago, it reflected a simple truth: better-prepared educators lead to better outcomes for children,” said Erica Willard, CEO of Michigan AEYC. “This program has helped thousands of early childhood professionals earn credentials and degrees while staying in the field. Michigan AEYC is proud to have partnered in that work and remains committed to supporting educators as they grow their careers and strengthen the quality of care for children across the state.”
“TEACH removes financial and administrative barriers so early childhood educators can earn the degrees and credentials they’ve worked hard for,” said Kelsey Laird, director of professional programs at Michigan AEYC. “For 25 years, it has helped thousands advance their education, grow their careers, and earn the wage increases they deserve. We remain committed to ensuring every educator has a supported pathway to learn, lead, and stay in the field.”
Those benefits extend beyond workforce development and into children’s learning experiences. The program also supports Michigan’s broader efforts to strengthen literacy outcomes for children. Research consistently shows that highly qualified early childhood educators play a critical role in helping children develop the language, communication, and early literacy skills that form the foundation for later reading success.
“Michigan’s Every Child Reads initiative recognizes that the foundation for reading begins long before a child enters kindergarten,” said Emily Laidlaw, MiLEAP deputy director overseeing the Office of Early Education. “The TEACH scholarship helps early childhood educators build their skills and advance their education so they can better support children’s learning and development. When we invest in educators, we help create strong early learning experiences that build the language, communication, and literacy skills children need to become successful readers.”
Lisa Brewer-Walraven, director of Child Development and Care within MiLEAP’s Office of Early Education, helped launch TEACH Early Childhood® Michigan in 2001 and served as the program’s first state director.
“One of the things that makes TEACH so powerful is that it opens doors for early childhood educators who are already doing this important work every day,” Brewer-Walraven said. “By helping educators earn credentials and degrees while continuing to work, TEACH strengthens the early childhood workforce and improves the quality of care and learning experiences available to children. Twenty-five years later, we continue to see the impact of those investments in educators, families, and communities across Michigan.”
TEACH Early Childhood® Michigan supports a wide range of educational pathways, including Child Development Associate (CDA) credentials, Michigan Youth Development Associate (MI-YDA) credentials, associate and bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and teacher certification programs.
“TEACH made it possible for me to go back to school and finish a degree I started 25 years ago,” said Amy Sofian, a TEACH scholarship recipient and a PreK teacher at Helping Hands Christian Learning Center in Lansing. “Without it, continuing my education while working full time simply wouldn’t have been possible. It has changed my career path and given me the support I needed to keep going for myself and my family.”
Today, TEACH continues to serve early childhood professionals across all 83 Michigan counties and is partnered with thousands of employers and education providers statewide, including child care centers, family child care providers, tribal programs, and higher education institutions.
As Michigan continues expanding access to high-quality early learning opportunities through initiatives such as PreK for All, Child Care Scholarship, and Every Child Reads, investments in educator preparation and professional growth remain a critical part of ensuring children receive the strong foundation they need to succeed.
To learn more, visit Michigan AEYC's TEACH Early Childhood Michigan Scholarship Program webpage.
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About MiLEAP:
Established by Governor Whitmer in 2023, MiLEAP’s mission is to improve outcomes from birth to postsecondary so anyone can ‘make it in Michigan’ with a solid education and a path to a good-paying job. To learn more about MiLEAP, go to Michigan.gov/MiLEAP.
About Michigan AEYC:
Michigan AEYC promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. As the Michigan affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Michigan AEYC supports thousands of early childhood professionals, providers, and families across the state. The organization advances a diverse and dynamic early childhood profession and works to ensure early educators have the support, compensation, and resources needed to thrive.
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