Making Juvenile Justice more Just for All Michigan Youth, Especially the Most Marginalized
When you hear the words Juvenile Justice, what comes into your mind? Is it a youth in the courtroom or is it a child in the classroom? Is it removing…
Blog
The Early Childhood Workforce Deserves Better
We hear about workforce shortages economy-wide in the news every day, and the early childhood workforce, which includes child care, home visiting, and early intervention services, is no exception. Michigan’s…
State Should Invest in Needed Professionals to Support Students and Relieve Overburdened Teachers
Over the next few months, Michigan’s lawmakers will decide how to spend a truly incredible amount of discretionary surplus money, over $5 billion, including surplus state funds and unspent federal…
Meet June Battjes, Michigan’s Children Newest Intern
Hello, my name is June Battjes, and I am glad to be joining the Michigan Children’s team as an intern this year. I am currently a senior at Michigan State…
A Teen’s Perspective: Growing Up as a Kinship Kid – a Life Filled with Losses, Worry but Much Gratitude
October 6, 202I – I speak not only for myself, but on behalf of many other children being raised in kinship families when I say how grateful I am that…
Guest Blog: Child Tax Credit is a ‘Godsend,” Says Mother of 3 Teens
(July 29, 2021) For many families, including my own, there is a need to prepare for the future on many levels. The past few years have really challenged us to…
Make Temporary Tax Change Permanent to Benefit Families with Children
There is no more important work than that of helping young people grow into thriving adults. Nobody puts more work into any one child or youth than that child’s parents…
Now a Federal Holiday, Juneteenth Calls on Us to Build a More Equitable Nation
On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas to inform enslaved Black people that the Union had won the war and they were now free. Those in Galveston…
Make Historic Child Care Investments Work for Families, including the Need for Summer Learning Programs for School-Age Youth this Year
Making public policy work for children, youth, and families means helping families thrive, no matter what ages their children may be. This summer, many working families would like to rely…
Michigan Poised for Important Progress in Child Care Improvements
Never has there been a time when more attention was focused nationally on child care access. The pandemic has exacerbated the already grim state of the child care system in…