The first five years of a child’s life will impact his or her social, cognitive, emotional and physical development across their lifespan, according to research. High-quality early childhood education programs are critical for improving learning and social skills, health outcomes, and readiness to progress to K-12 and beyond. These high-quality programs include highly educated teachers, smaller class sizes and lower ratios of staff to children.

Michigan State University's Child Development Laboratories, or CDL, provide high-quality early childhood education. To offer a look at the impact of the CDL, Michigan legislative and gubernatorial staff joined the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC) Executive Committee members on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.

“Early childhood care and education is a nonpartisan issue. It impacts child, family and community well-being and it's an economic driver,” said Laurie Linscott, director of the MSU Child Development Laboratories and a member of the ECIC Executive Committee, a committee appointed by the governor. “Access to affordable early child care allows parents to leave the home to work and provides the educational foundation for a healthy and successful future workforce in Michigan.”

The CDL was created with a three-pronged mission: research, teaching and outreach. A center that provides quality early care and education, teacher training, and the opportunity to support research on child development. The CDL also helps families learn how to advocate for their children’s needs.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has identified literacy as a key priority in Michigan, as the state ranked 44th in fourth-grade reading in 2024, according to the National Center for Education Statistics report.

“Our early childhood educators are often our children’s first literacy champion, our childcare classrooms are where conversations happen, where books are introduced and where curiosity is nurtured; and our pre-K classrooms are where we solidify that foundational knowledge to make reading success possible. If we’re serious about literacy, and our governor is, then we must invest early,” said Emma Young, deputy director of policy for the Executive Office of Governor Whitmer, who gave remarks before the joint tour with ECIC.

ECIC is actively working to address Michigan’s child care crisis: 44% of Michiganders live in a child care desert, only one percent of child care workers earn enough to support the average family size, and Michigan loses $2.8 billion each year in economic activity due to insufficient child care availability.

A leader in collaboration and investment in early childhood, ECIC is a public organization that is funded by federal, state and private supporters and has invested over $225 million to improve early childhood education in Michigan since it was established in 2005. The organization convenes partners to increase public and private investment in children's earliest years, elevate issues affecting young children and their families and improve Michigan’s early childhood system.

"Within Michigan, the MSU Child Development Laboratories stands out as a shining example of high-quality early care and education that meets community needs, while also inspiring and building the workforce that families rely on," said Alicia Guevara, CEO of the Early Childhood Investment Corporation. "As we continue to elevate the importance of childcare as a critical infrastructure that supports families, employers and communities, we're grateful for our partnership with the MSU CDL and their leadership as they support our youngest Michiganders with early literacy and development for school readiness."

Four legislative staff members attended from the Offices of State Sen. Veronica Klinefelt, State Rep. Will Snyder, State Rep. Kara Hope, and State Rep. Morgan Foreman. As part of their visit, government staff and ECIC committee members had the opportunity to read a story to a classroom of children.

Currently, the CDL has two locations in East Lansing and Haslett, but is making an exciting expansion to Lansing’s Eastside. The expansion reflects MSU’s commitment to providing high-quality early learning opportunities while supporting families, educators and students in the Lansing area.

“This expansion reflects our commitment to serving the community in areas that are currently underserved in early childcare and education,” said Linscott. “We hope that we’ll be able to keep building support and investment around this expansion.”

The MSU Child Development Lab’s new location is expected to open later this year, welcoming families and young learners to a facility designed to inspire growth, creativity and a lifelong love of learning.

More information is available on the MSU Child Development Laboratories' website.