What Michigan's Children is Doing

Michigan’s Children works with policymakers, community leaders and parents to advance public policies and programs that support families with young children in Michigan. Among the early childhood issues that we work on are the following:

Access to high-quality early learning programs
Maternal and child health
Parenting education and support

Child abuse and neglect prevention

Specifically in 2012, we will work to:

Provide access for at-risk families to proven family support programs including home visiting services.
Increase access to high quality early learning programs, including child care and preschool programs for at-risk four-year-olds.
Expand evidence-based services for children ages 0 to 3 and their families.
Support federal and state health care reforms guaranteeing that all children are insured and have access to health care and a medical home.

With the support of the national Birth to Five Policy Alliance, an independent organization promoting innovative and successful policies with the funding necessary to achieve positive early learning, strong families, and good health for vulnerable children birth to age 5, Michigan's Children will be working with other partners to:

Strengthen state and local advocacy for adequate early childhood funding.
Inform the Michigan Legislature and Administration on the importance of investments in early childhood.
Expand constituencies for public investments in early childhood.

Link to Donation Page

Join the Early Childhood Action Network

You can help put our state on the path to prosperity! Receive notices of special reports, Action Alerts, updates, and more information specifically about early childhood issues.

Child Development and Care

With the move of the Child Develoment and Care (CDC) program into the Michigan Department of Education - Office of Great Start, Michigan's Children put together a letter and fact sheet for the House Appropriations Committee on Education to learn more about the CDC program and what it means for children, families, and the state budget.

CDC letter and fact sheet

Infants and Toddlers

Research shows that experiences in the first 1,000 days of life alter the architecture of young children's brains in ways that permanently affect their health, learning and development. With a majority of Michigan babies - particularly babies of color - born into very low-income families, the need to expand access to services that support families with young children is great. Michigan's Children is committed to establishing a consistent funding stream for programs serving children from birth to age 3 and their families.

Children's Healthcare Access Program

Kent County Children’s Healthcare Access Program (CHAP) and Wayne County CHAP are improving health outcomes for low-income children while reducing health care costs. CHAP is a medical home model that was created in partnership with local Great Start Collaboratives as well as local health plans, hospitals, health departments, businesses and agencies. CHAP in Michigan began in Kent County through the vision and leadership of local pediatrician, Dr. Tom Peterson; a non-profit organization led by prominent business executives and philanthropists; and a forward-thinking managed care plan. Efforts to replicate the CHAP model are taking place across the state with Wayne County beginning to implement its CHAP model in 2011.

Read our Focus on MI Communities piece on Kent and Wayne CHAP.
See the joint media release by Michigan's Children, First Steps Kent, and the ECIC on CHAP.
See the Grand Rapids Press article highlighting Kent CHAP.