Kids Count in Michigan Data Book 2017

Looking back over the past year, what is it really like to be a kid in Michigan in 2017? A year following a controversial presidential election that many children watched intently. A time when parents and teachers must be prepared to discuss gender, racial and ethnic divides and promote inclusion. Post-Great Recession, there are still many children whose families are struggling to make ends meet and who are exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) due to living in communities with high rates of poverty and low access to support services and job opportunities. Our children are also faced with extreme challenges with an ever-changing educational system that is attempting to prepare them for a global economy. Michigan parents face parallel difficulties as they try their hardest to provide for their children, often amidst their own barriers, such as financial hardship, low levels of education, depression or substance abuse.
The data shows us that in Michigan significant disparities in child well-being exist by race, place and income. For Michigan to progress and become a place where people want to work and raise families, resources and strategies must be targeted to ensure that all children are able to thrive and reach their full potential regardless of race, ethnicity, family income or where they live. Rather than striving for only equality, policies must also work toward equity. In other words, to ensure the well-being of all children, rather than creating policies that give every child the same resources, lawmakers should instead provide every child with what they need. To reach shared goals of improving outcomes for children, institutions and systems should be reformed through targeted approaches that meet the needs and circumstances of all kids.
In the 2015-2016 legislative session, there were some important victories for kids that recognize the need for equity. Healthy Kids Dental was originally expanded to serve all eligible children in the three remaining counties that did not have full coverage— Kent, Oakland and Wayne. Funding for the At-Risk program to target resources for students who need the most support—helping to improve third-grade reading and graduation rates for everyone—was increased for the first time in a decade in the 2016 state budget. The program, however, remains well underfunded. Policymakers also pushed through reforms to Michigan’s harsh zero-tolerance school suspension and expulsion laws, which disproportionately impact students of color and those with low incomes.
This is just a start though. A review of the data demonstrates that there is still a great deal of work ahead to truly improve the lives of kids and their families.