But they also are in a tug of war over making improvements.
Caregivers try to increase their education, but that means higher costs for parents.
Meanwhile, the state, which wants to make it easier to open a licensed day care center to meet a growing demand, has proposed relaxing some regulations. Parents say that will reduce quality. Michigan already lags other states. Just 2 percent of centers are accredited by a national association, compared to 7 percent of centers nationally. It also is one of the few states that allow workers to begin caring for children at age 17.