The application must be completed by the business owner, operator, or program director.

The application requires detailed programmatic, operational, and staffing information that is typically only available to organizational leadership. Because stipend funds are awarded to and administered through the business, the owner or director must apply to confirm organizational participation and commitment to program requirements.

Yes. Stipends provided through this initiative are considered taxable income to the individual educators who receive them.

Stipend payments are issued to the participating business, which is responsible for disbursing payments to the approved educators. As a result, the business is responsible for complying with applicable payroll and tax reporting requirements, including issuing any required tax form to staff.

Childcare Back Office will provide the business with documentation reflecting stipend funds distributed to your organization. Businesses should consult with their payroll provider, accountant, or tax professional to ensure proper reporting and compliance with federal and state tax requirements.

Go to the MiRegistry website and click the Login button to access the account. navigate to the “My Personal Profile” page, and find your number in the top right corner.

Individuals who do not possess a MiRegistry account can access the MiRegistry Account page for supplementary details and guidance.

You can also contact your Great Start to Quality Resource Center to get one-on-one assistance with creating or updating your MiRegistry account.

Yes. Programs that follow a school-year calendar – such  as GSRP, Head Start, or traditional preschool programs – are eligible to apply, provided the program and identified educators meet all other eligibility criteria, including Mi-Registry membership and classroom-based roles.

Stipends are tied to the individual educators identified and approved during the application process and their employment at your organization. If a staff member leaves your organization for any reason, you must promptly notify us. The stipend does not transfer to your organization or another staff member, the individual will no longer be eligible to receive payments through your program.

Participation is voluntary. If an educator chooses to stop receiving the stipend at any time, you must notify us. Payments will be discontinued for that educator, and no further action is required from your organization beyond notification.

You can contact us via email at wages@iff.org.

Yes. Early education businesses may apply in more than one region, and if selected in more than one region, can receive stipend support for eligible educators. However, individual educators who work at more than one early education program are only eligible to receive one stipend total, regardless of the number of programs or regions in which they work.

As a self-employed owner/operator of a licensed home-based child care program, your wage is calculated based on your business’s profitability rather than a traditional paycheck.

To determine if you meet the $17.00 per hour wage threshold, you must calculate your effective average hourly rate using your program’s business records over a typical month.

Your effective hourly rate is determined by dividing your program’s Net Profit by the Total Monthly Operating Hours.

How to Determine Your Numbers

Average Monthly Net Profit: This is your program’s Total Monthly Revenue (all tuition, grants, and fees collected) minus your Total Monthly Business Expenses (utilities, food, insurance, supplies, etc.).

You can use the ‘Net Profit’ figure found on your IRS Schedule C (Profit or Loss From Business) as a verified annual figure, then divide it by 12 to get your average monthly profit.

Average Total Monthly Operating Hours: This is the total number of hours your program is open and operating with children scheduled in your care during an average month.

Example Calculation

If, in a typical month:

• Your Average Monthly Net Profit is $3,200.00
• Your Average Total Monthly Operating Hours are 200 hours (e.g., 50 hours/week x 4 weeks)
• You would calculate $3,200 / 200 hours = $16 / hour

In this example, the resulting effective hourly rate of $16.00 meets the eligibility requirement of being $17.00 or less.

Note: If you are selected for the stipend, you will be required to submit documentation (such as your IRS Schedule C) to verify this calculation.