Governor Whitmer Signs Executive Order Extending Capacity for Disaster Relief Child Care Services for Essential Workforce

(April 15, 2020 9:51 PM) Governor Gretchen Whitmer today signed Executive Order 2020-51, which extends until May 13 expanded capacity for child care services for health care workers, first responders, and other members of the essential workforce providing critical infrastructure to Michiganders during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. The order provides temporary and limited relief from certain regulatory restrictions regarding child care services and facilitates the use of certain property for child care services.

“This Executive Order ensures health care workers on the front lines battling COVID-19 have access to child care,” Governor Whitmer said. “With schools closed across the state and babysitters and grandparents staying home and staying safe, it’s critical the men and women risking their health and safety to protect ours have reliable and dependable child care.”

Under the Executive Order, the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) is authorized to issue expedited provisional licenses to expand capacity for child care services. It also allows employers, like hospitals, to operate a disaster relief child care center for their employees. Public and nonpublic school facilities can also be utilized for the purposes of maintaining a disaster relief child care center focused on providing services for members of the essential workforce.

Those included in the essential workforce providing critical infrastructure to Michiganders include health care workers, home health workers, direct care workers, emergency medical service providers, first responders, law enforcement personnel, sanitation workers, child care workers, personnel providing correctional services, postal workers, public health employees, key government employees, court personnel and others providing critical infrastructure to Michiganders.

Information around this outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

To view executive order 2020-51, click the link below: