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Kids Count in Michigan is annual publication examining the status of children in families in all of Michigan's 83 counties and the city of Detroit. Kids Count in Michigan is a partnership between the Michigan League for Human Services and Michigan’s Children -- two organizations committed to providing information about the status of children and families in Michigan communities and the role that public policy plays in impacting that status. This knowledge then can be used to improve policy and practice in ways that leave Michigan children healthier, safer and more successful in school and in life.
Kids Count in Michigan 2009 Data Book
Released Jan. 12, 2010
Child Poverty, Abuse and Neglect Cloud Future
Click here to read a statement from Michigan's Children.
Click here for the data book, executive summary, county profiles and more.
Data Shines Light on Dropout Crisis
The 2009 Data Book contains some good and bad news about the state's dropout crisis, a key concern and focus area of Michigan's Children.
On the good side, the rate of high school dropouts declined by 6 percent between 2006 and 2007, the latest year for which data were available. But the progress is seriously jeopardized by continued budget cuts to education programs and schools.
Furthermore, the data show much work remains to be done. In 2008, well over 20,000 Michigan students who should have graduated that year had dropped out -- that's 14 percent of the young people who began high school four years earlier. And another 13,500 students needed more than the traditional four years to graduate.
This requires our immediate attention.
On Jan. 14, Michigan's Children sent letters to Legislative leadership and members of the House and Senate education committees urging them to take swift action to ensure the future of our economy by committing to adequately educate and prepare our next generation of workers.
You can contact them, too and help to reinforce this message. Click here for contact information.
Click here to read the letter
Click here to read the fact sheet
Click here to read the press release
Place AND Public Policy Matter to Kids & Families
The 2009 Data Book emphasized the importance of place to well-being, and offers a comparison of trends in rural, midsized and urban counties. The findings prove the need to invest in children, and bring to the forefront evidence that children and families are languishing in Michigan's fiscal crisis.
Clearly, the well-being of children is the key to our economic future. And, as good public policy making can contribute positively to well-being, inadequate or misguided public policy making also contributes. The good news is that we already know what it takes for kids to thrive in school and the workplace. The challenge is that we need to better connect public policy decisions to what works.
We know that the Fiscal Year 2011 budget is going to prove to be a difficult year as significant cuts lie ahead that will negatively impact our most vulnerable if the legislature does not pass new revenue. Advocates must speak up now.
Click here to read more about how you can use the Kids Count in Michigan 2009 Data Book to help legislators make the connections to help children and families.
National Data Book 2009
Released July 28, 2009
Michigan ranks 27th among the states in a national report on child well-being.
Click here for the overview, fact sheet, state data, press release and more.
Add data to your website, desktop, or blog with the new KIDS COUNT web widget. The widget provides state rankings for overall child-well being and state data on the status of children for 10 key indicators included in the 2009 KIDS COUNT Data Book. Click here
Right Start in Michigan 2009
Released June 30, 2009
Maternal and Infant Well-Being
Click here for the overview, data by county, press release, media coverage and more.
Click here to read a guest blog by Jane Zehnder-Merrell, director of the Kids Count in Michigan project.
Kids Count in Michigan 2008 Data Book
Released Jan. 13, 2009
More Michigan Children Neglected, Living in Poverty
Click here to read a public statement from Michigan's Children.
Click here for the data book, executive summary, county profiles and more.
Click here to find out more about current policy conversation around the issues highlighted in this year's report.
Click here to read the 2007 Data Book.
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