The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation earned a 2026 Child Care Champion of Michigan award from three organizations supporting child care access.
The recognition stems from AAACF's investment in Apple Playschools, an Ann Arbor early childhood education nonprofit. That investment added 47 child care spaces and created 12 jobs, according to a Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential press release.
MiLEAP, the Early Childhood Investment Corporation and Pulse at the W.E. Upjohn Institute recognized AAACF and eight other organizations at a Sept. 24 ceremony in East Lansing.
AAACF's impact investing manager, Frances Todoro-Hargreaves, accepted the award on behalf of the foundation, AAACF said in an Oct. 27 announcement.
The investment paired a loan with $100,000 in development grants to help Apple Playschools expand its operations. AAACF's 2026 announcement put the loan at $775,000, for a total of $875,000. The state's press release and the foundation's October 2025 announcement listed the loan at $750,000. The announcements do not explain the difference.
Apple Playschools celebrated its expanded center with a block party in September 2025, according to AAACF. A PRLog press release said the expansion increased enrollment capacity by nearly 50%.
"Our investment in Apple Playschools was about more than expanding child care capacity — it was about strengthening the infrastructure families rely on, creating local jobs, and investing in an organization positioned to serve children and families for years to come," Todoro-Hargreaves said in the announcement.
Shannon Polk, AAACF president and CEO, said the partnership with Apple Playschools connects to the foundation's S.E.E.D.S. initiative, specifically its Developing Youth focus. Polk said investing in the community's youngest residents is an investment in the future of Washtenaw County.
Child care costs remain a pressure point for Michigan families. The 2025 Kids Count in Michigan Data Book reported that infant care cost an average of $10,023 annually. The report describes the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' affordability benchmark as child care costing less than 7% of a family's income. Only one in four families could afford infant care under that benchmark, the report found.
Nominations for the Child Care Champions come from Michigan's Regional Child Care Coalitions. The nine honorees included businesses, nonprofits, municipalities and economic development organizations across the state.
