Photo courtesy of Gabby's guppies Gabby’s Guppies, a childcare business ran by Gabby Hodges, opened a second location in the Hancock Community Hub last year.

HANCOCK — The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential (MiLEAP), announced Tuesday the Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM) will center itself as part of a statewide effort focused on aiding childcare business owners throughout their journeys.

One small child care business, Gabby’s Guppies, has a new location in downtown Hancock at the Hancock Community Hub. Owner/Director Gabby Hodges said there were challenges running a childcare business for the first time.

“There’s a lot of moving parts in child in general,” she said. “So, you have: making sure that you’re painting all of your licensing requirements, there’s also health department requirements… the fire bureau requirement.”

Hodges launched her childcare business from her Lake Linden home in 2023. In the next three years her enrollment expanded and required a bigger, additional space. She said community resources and support helped accommodate her business needs — specifically with Right Start UP helping acquire space in the Hancock Community Hub.

“They [Right Start UP] kind of helped us along in the process,” she said. “They had contacts for me of local businesses that wanted to grant our facility.”

According to its website, Right Start UP encourages community and educational-focused businesses to take root in the Hancock Community Hub. Hodges said Right Start UP was looking for a new childcare business to take up space in the building and she was ready to expand the businesses — the pieces fell together in place.

Smaller childcare businesses in rural areas like the Keweenaw are often not the main focus of MiLEAP and the SBAM, however, those programs and resources are a good model for success. MiLEAP was established in 2023 by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Its goal is to ensure everyone in Michigan — from birth to graduating from school — gets the help they need to achieve their goals.

In the announcement, MiLEAP Director Beverly Walker-Griffea said SBAM will provide valuable tools and experience to assist in every facet of running a childcare business.

“Childcare educators and business owners are often faced with unique business challenges while also working every day to provide quality and consistent care for Michigan children and families,” she said. “This new initiative is about helping them succeed by connecting them with the right business tools and support systems so they can remain open, expand, and continue serving the families who rely on them.”

This sentiment is echoed in rural resources for childcare businesses. Hodges said community partnerships like Right Start UP, MTEC, Start Small UP, the Childcare Coalition and others, get the ball rolling.

On a smaller scale, Gabby’s Guppies is an example of how a community can come together and support much-needed businesses. According to Hodges, since there is a lack of childcare in the Keweenaw, there is no such thing as competition.

“I have an employee who’s actually opening an in-home daycare this year in Calumet and I’ve helped her as much as I can too,” she said. “There’s such a huge need in our community that there’s not necessarily competition in the childcare world, which is very nice for our specific models.”