On September 24, Gentex Discovery Preschool was named a 2026 Child Care Champion of Michigan at a ceremony in East Lansing. Nine businesses, nonprofits, municipalities, and economic development organizations were honored by the Early Childhood Investment Corporation, Pulse at the W.E. Upjohn Institute, and the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). We’re grateful to Vibrant Futures for nominating us.

What Collaboration Looks Like

One message came up again and again at the event: Child care needs collaboration and innovation. No single group is going to fix it alone.

Gentex Discovery Preschool shows what’s possible when partners come together. Gentex Corporation invested in a 43,000-square-foot early learning center on its Zeeland campus, serving infants through preschoolers. It includes infant care and second-shift care to support manufacturing employees and other families with nontraditional schedules.

Gentex also wanted to do it using the model research shows is best for kids: nature-based child care. Babies through preschoolers spend extended time outside every day, with zero screens. Children build curiosity about the natural world they’ll engage with throughout their lives, and we connect the wonder nature sparks to their learning and development.

Help Us Keep Building

The work isn’t finished. Quality, nature-based child care takes ongoing investment, and ODC Network is committed to being part of the solution for children, families, and the employers who count on reliable care.

If you believe every child deserves a start rooted in nature, we invite you to support our work across the early childhood space. Your gift helps us continue to innovate, collaborate, and grow access to the kind of early learning that stays with kids for life.