Challenge Lawmakers to Do More With What They Have
(October 20, 2023) This year, in a year of historic funding surplus, direct benefits for underserved children, youth, and families, received some critical increases, but only after waiting for over…
Blog
When Child Care Providers are an Extension of Your Home Life, Saying Goodbye is a Tough Conversation
(August 4, 2023) – Two and a half years ago, I was hired onto Michigan’s Children staff to essentially deal with all things outreach-related. At that time, it was the…
To Give Youth a Chance for Improved Outcomes, We Should Recognize Foster Case and Juvenile Justice as the Educational Systems They Are
(June 7, 2023) Our foster care and juvenile justice systems are educational systems, and we must view them as such. Look at what these systems fundamentally do. Foster care is…
Increasing Access to Early On and Child Care Top Concerns of Young Families at Livingston Forum
(May 4, 2023) Last month the Livingston Great Start Parent Coalition hosted a dynamic Q&A in Howell to learn about their lawmakers’ priorities and educate them about how families experience…
Hundreds Use their Voices for Early Childhood at Capital Day
Hundreds of early childhood advocates urged their lawmakers to “Think Babies” during a Capitol Day in Lansing hosted by Think Babies Michigan and the Michigan Association for the Education of…
Expanding Opportunities for Detroit Teens; Youth Voice Leads the Way
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a meeting of the Detroit-based afterschool program, Teen HYPE, as youth hosted stakeholders from across the city for a special brainstorming session.…
College Students from Foster Care – Why On-Campus Mentoring Makes a Difference
Attending college, particularly a large university like Michigan State University (MSU), is filled with exciting first-time experiences for new college-goers, but also challenges that could be hard to overcome without…
Preparing Youth with Disabilities to Vote; Leave No Voter Behind
The transition period from childhood to adulthood can be a stressful, confusing, overwhelming, and exciting time for all youth and their families. There is so much planning and preparation to…
My Introduction to Kinship . . . and a Call to Action
My name is Lindsay Huddleston and I’m a policy and program associate for Michigan’s Children. Today, I’m here to share about what I would like to call my “Introduction to…
Calls are Growing to Increase Support for Michigan’s Kinship Families
Kinship care is all around you; you just might not recognize it. Grandparents, aunts, and uncles caring for their relatives’ children, young adults taking in their younger siblings. Even close…