Early Educator Wage Initiative

1. First, go to the MiRegistry website and tap the Login button to access the account.
   
2. Next, insert the appropriate credentials in the Email Address and Password fields and then tap the Login button.
   
3. At this point, learners will navigate to the “My Personal Profile” page to find and copy the Registry ID.
   

Individuals who do not possess a MiRegistry account can access the MiRegistry Account page for supplementary details and guidance. 

You can also contact your Great Start to Quality Resource Center to get one-on-one assistance with creating or updating your MiRegistry account. Contact Deb Dupras for the Upper Peninsula via email at debdupras@4cofup.org, or via phone at 906-228-3362. Contact Helen Shastal for Northeast Michigan via email at shastalh@coorisd.net or via phone at 989-808-3194.

Yes, the Early Childhood Wage Stipends are considered taxable income, and stipend recipients are responsible for reporting this income on my state and federal taxes.

Stipend recipients will receive a 1099-MISC form by mail, sent no later than January 31st, for the total stipend amount paid to them during the previous calendar year. A copy of this form is also filed with the IRS.

When you file your personal income taxes, you must report this 1099-MISC income. This amount is added to your other earnings (like your W-2 wages), which increases your total reported income. This will likely increase the total amount of income tax you owe for the year. This could result in a smaller tax refund than you are used to, or you may owe money.

We strongly recommend saving a portion of each stipend payment specifically for tax time. Please consult with a qualified tax professional to discuss your personal financial situation.

Yes, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services requires that changes in your household, including changes in income, must be reported within 10 days of the change. You can view a guide to when, how, and what household changes you are expected to report here: DHS Benefits Info Sheet.pdf – Google Drive.

We completely understand your hesitation about sharing personal data, and we want to assure you that your privacy and data security are our top priority. We only collect the minimum information required to run a fair, accountable, and successful program.

Here is a breakdown of why we need each type of information and how we protect it:

1. Contact Information and Lottery Success

We collect your Name, Home Address, and Phone Number specifically to ensure reliable contact if you are selected in the lottery.

• Purpose: If you are drawn, we need to reach you immediately and reliably to get your W-9 and direct deposit information. Email just isn’t always reliable with how much spam we all get these days. Without confirmed contact information, we cannot guarantee you receive the stipend.
• Security: Access to this personal contact information is strictly limited to the Child Care Back Office (CCBO) staff on a need to know basis for the sole purpose of program administration and communication.

2. Employment Verification (Avoiding Sensitive Documents)

We ask for your Employer’s Details and Job Title so that we can verify your eligibility behind the scenes.

• Purpose: This allows our staff to confirm key eligibility criteria (such as licensed status and minimum hours) directly with the provider and through state databases. This process is designed to avoid burdening you with having to upload highly sensitive documents like personal tax forms or pay stubs.
• Self-Verification Backup: We maintain the option for self-employed providers or those whose employers do not respond to submit redacted documentation for verification.

3. MiRegistry ID and State Accountability

Your MiRegistry ID is the one piece of applicant data that must be shared externally for verification.

• Purpose: The MiRegistry ID is required by our state partner (MiLEAP) to confirm that you are an active member of Michigan’s early childhood workforce system, which is a core eligibility requirement.
• Limited Sharing: The MiRegistry ID is the only piece of applicant data shared with the state’s project manager for this specific verification purpose. Your name, address, phone number, and employer details are not shared with the state.

Final Assurance on Data Safety

The data we collect is safeguarded in compliance with all state and federal requirements and stored on secure, encrypted servers. We promise to use your data only for the explicit purpose of administering this stipend program, including verification, payment, and required grant reporting (which uses only anonymous, aggregated statistics).

If you are eligible for a stipend from the Wage Initiative in more than one region (for example, if you work part time at two childcare programs that are each located in a different region), you can apply in more than one region. However, educators are only eligible for a stipend at ONE location. Applications will ask if you plan to apply in more than one region, and stipend awardees from each region will be cross-referenced to prevent an individual from being funded twice.

Yes! Aides are eligible to apply for the Wage Initiative. When filling out the application, please slect “Assistant Teacher/Family Child Care Assistant” for your role. The categories available in that question are based on the data requested by the grant funding this iniative.

No. This is not the subscription that won’t go away. We understand that every educator’s situation is different and that situations can change. If you are selected to receive a stipend and later need to stop receiving it at any time or for any reason, all you have to do is email us at wages@childcarebackoffice.org. 

Stipends are specifically tied to your employment at the program verified in your application. Applicants must agree to promptly notify the Child Care Back Office (CCBO) if they leave that employer for any reason. The stipend does not follow you, even if you move to another qualified childcare position. Upon leaving your position, you will be removed from the active recipient list, but may reapply to the lottery pool to be considered for future stipend payments.

Yes, absolutely! Educators working in programs that follow a school-year calendar (like many GSRP, Head Start, or traditional preschool programs) are encouraged to apply, provided you meet the other eligibility criteria (MiRegistry membership, primary duties in the classroom, etc.).

Since your employment schedule differs from year-round programs, you can determine if you meet the $17.00 per hour wage threshold by calculating your effective hourly wage over a full year:

Wage Calculation for School-Year Programs:

1. Determine Your Total Annual Contracted Salary: Use your gross pre-tax salary for the entire contracted year (e.g., September through June). If you’re paid hourly, multiply your hourly rate by the total number of hours in your contracted year.

2. Determine Your Projected Full Year Hours: This is the total number of hours you would work in a 52-week year if your schedule were year-around.

   • Example: If you are contracted to work 30 hours per week for 38 school weeks, your Projected Full Year Hours are 30 x 52 = 1560 hours.

3. Calculate Your Effective Hourly Wage: Divide your Total Annual Contracted Salary by your Projected Full Year Hours.

   • Example: Your Total Annual Pre-Tax Salary is  $35,000 for 40 hours a week, September through June. Your Projected Full Year Hours are 2080 hours. Your Effective Hourly wage is $35,000 / 2080 hours = $16.83 an hour

If your calculated Effective Hourly Wage is $17.00 or less, you meet the wage eligibility requirement.

This is a great question! As a self-employed owner/operator of a licensed home-based childcare program, your wage is calculated based on your business’s profitability rather than a traditional paycheck.

To determine if you meet the $17.00 per hour wage threshold, you must calculate your effective average hourly rate using your program’s business records over a typical month.

The Formula

Your effective hourly rate is determined by dividing your program’s Net Profit by the Total Monthly Operating Hours.

How to Determine Your Numbers

1. Average Monthly Net Profit:

   • This is your program’s Total Monthly Revenue (all tuition, grants, and fees collected) minus your Total Monthly Business Expenses (utilities, food, insurance, supplies, etc.).

   • You can use the ‘Net Profit’ figure found on your IRS Schedule C (Profit or Loss From Business) as a verified annual figure, then divide it by 12 to get your average monthly profit.

2. Average Total Monthly Operating Hours:

   • This is the total number of hours your program is open and operating with children scheduled in your care during an average month.

Example Calculation

If, in a typical month:

• Your Average Monthly Net Profit is $3,200.00

• Your Average Total Monthly Operating Hours are 200 hours (e.g., 50 hours/week x 4 weeks)

• You would calculate $3,200 / 200 hours = $16 / hour

In this example, the resulting effective hourly rate of $16.00 meets the eligibility requirement of being $17.00 or less.

Note: If you are selected for the stipend, you will be required to submit documentation (such as your IRS Schedule C) to verify this calculation.