Key Findings
- The number of children who need care is higher than the number of available slots. Only 22 percent of infants and toddlers, and 64 percent of children ages 3-5, are served by existing slots.
- On average, families are paying 49 percent of their income to cover the cost of care.
- High-quality early childhood education (ECE) care costs range from $16,805 to $26,060, and children ages 3-5 are twice as likely to have access to quality care than children ages 0-2.
- There is a critical need for five times more state subsidized ECE slots, since only 16 percent of children are currently being served.
Building on its 2015 report, “The System We Need: A Neighborhood Snapshot of Early Childhood Education in Detroit,” IFF’s Community Data Insights team released in February a new analysis and data sets of Detroit’s child care gap.
“The results from IFF’s 2023 analysis and its comparison with the 2015 data will help identify continuing gaps in early childhood education access, where they’re located, and the type of interventions needed to address shortages,” says Preeti Rao, senior community data analyst with IFF. “This updated analysis is designed to help local stakeholders identify the highest priority locations for additional child care seats in Detroit.”
Data Driven Detroit (D3) integrated the datasets from the recent study into its State of the Detroit Child portal earlier this year, making it easier for early childhood education (ECE) providers, policymakers, philanthropic organizations, and other local stakeholders to access, understand, and put into use.
IFF provides regional research services across the Midwest, facilitating data-driven investment and strategic decision-making. The research team utilizes a comprehensive suite of quantitative and qualitative methodologies, integrating financial and real estate expertise, extensive cross-sectoral experience, and collaborative engagement with community stakeholders. This approach yields actionable insights and evidence-based recommendations for addressing complex community development challenges.
D3 and IFF partner extensively through the Hope Starts Here initiative. Focused on making Detroit a world-class city for children and families, Hope Starts Here is comprised of a team of ECE advocates leading the charge for Detroit’s early childhood systems. IFF is an imperative lead in the partnership, championing the creation and maintenance of safe and inspiring learning environments.
IFF’s recent study underscores the importance of the work of the Hope Starts Here partners and other IFF projects and programs, such as Learning Spaces.
According to the study, there are 48,246 children 0-5 years old in Detroit competing for 21,007 slots, meaning only 44 percent of children have access to the care they need and deserve. Among infants (age 0-2), the gap is even more significant, with only 22 percent being served in Detroit.
The analysis also highlighted another significant challenge to accessing ECE, which is the affordability of care. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), child care is considered affordable if it costs families no more than 7 percent of their income. In Detroit, where the median household income is $36,453, families pay 42 percent of their income for preschool care and 55 percent for infant and toddler care, on average.
“Internally, the study can help us connect the dots with ongoing projects and efforts to see where we can best leverage our financial and facilities expertise,” Rao says. “We hope that these ECE gap results will help inform decisions about the Detroit ECE landscape and, more importantly, influence policies for ECE locally and on state and national scales.”