The non-profit Michigan foundation Women's Caring Program (WCP), which has hosted a growing annual garden-party/fundraiser in Southeast Michigan for nearly 20 years is, for the first time, holding similar simultaneous events in five locations around the state. Held annually on the second Thursday of July, the "Twilight Gathering," a popular early evening outdoor event in Milford, will this year be celebrated in Lansing, Battle Creek, Traverse City, Jackson and Detroit on July 8. WCP supports early childhood education through licensed quality childcare for working poor families across Michigan. Hostesses in each of the five cities have been long-time supporters of WCP.
WCP began on a front porch in 1979 as a simple wine-and-cheese get-together in East Lansing among a handful of women who wanted to expand their circle of friends. It is now an energetic, growing public foundation funding a unique cause. Repeated yearly for several years, the original party grew by friends inviting friends and became a humble potluck that blossomed into the Twilight Gathering garden party in Milford, when host and founder Carol Walters moved there in 1988.(?) The group elected a board of directors of earnest supporters and gained non-profit status several years later. In recent years, the summer event has regularly attracted more than 800 women statewide. WCP celebrated its 30-year history at last summer's Gathering and recently made some changes to its fundraising structure and became a public foundation.
"Since 1995, we've been serving the needs of children in working poor families throughout the state of Michigan who need quality early education and childcare to make them kindergarten ready while their parents are working to provide for them," said founder and board president Carol Walters. "Our supporters and attendees have come from all over Michigan, and some from out of state, too. We decided to start taking the party to them, to further expand the reach and awareness of this very important program."
WCP's signature statewide program, ChildCare Commitment provides tuition assistance for quality care and early education for children ages birth to five from working poor and disadvantaged families who are not eligible for childcare payments from another funding source. Grants to help working families with payments for licensed child-care facilities are distributed across Michigan with priority focused in regions with population density and high poverty levels. It has helped families in 64 Michigan counties.
When at-risk children start kindergarten behind their middle class peers, studies show they rarely catch up. Research shows quality early care and education enhances a child's school performance and work-life success. The single most important factor in improving a child's ability to be successful and productive is quality education. Studies indicate every dollar invested in quality early childhood education and care for disadvantaged children yields a significant return as a result of reduced social problems and increased economic productivity.
"Too often, we find that government and private assistance programs focus only on the most disadvantaged among us," Walters added. "Through ChildCare Commitment, we bring much-needed stability to the lives of working Michigan families for whom just a little help can make all the difference, making kindergarten readiness and future success in life more of a reality."
Among families who pay for child care, families in poverty spend an average of 29 percent of their income and families between 100 and 200 percent of poverty devote an average of 14 percent of their income on care.
Among families who pay for child care, families in poverty spend an average of 29 percent of their income and families between 100 and 200 percent of poverty devote an average of 14 percent of their income on care. The average cost of childcare in Michigan for one child in 2009 was $6,717.
In Michigan, two out of every five children reside in low-income households (income under $44,100 for a family of four). This rate is up more than six percent since 2000, and is the highest in the Midwest. The average cost of childcare in Michigan for one child in 2009 was $6,717. There are currently 340 families on the ChildCare Commitment's waiting list.
