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Stateside podcast: Michigan's child care deserts

Three children sit out of focus in the background on a carpet printed with a road pattern. Two blue toy cars are in focus in the foreground.
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An investigation conducted by several newsrooms found that over 559,000 children in Michigan are 5 years old or younger. However, there are only about 264,000 available day care slots in the state.

A "child care desert" is a region where three children compete for every available slot at an in-home or group center. The Michigan League for Public Policy, a Lansing-based nonprofit, created a list of 11 childcare deserts in Michigan. However, a consortium of newsrooms was able to track down more accurate data and found the actual number to be much higher.

Reporter Derek Kravitz co-authored the report published by MuckRock. He joined the show to explain his team's findings regarding Michigan's child care shortage.

GUEST:

Derek Kravitz, data and investigations editor for MuckRock
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Ronia Cabansag is a producer for Stateside. She comes to Michigan Public from Eastern Michigan University, where she earned a BS in Media Studies & Journalism and English Linguistics with a minor in Computer Science.