Department of Education Cuts and Implications for Children with Disabilities
May 1, 2025
In this episode, we dive into the real-life consequences of proposed U.S. Department of Education budget cuts, specifically their impact on children with disabilities in Michigan. With guests from an Intermediate School District (ISD), the Autism Alliance of Michigan, and an agency serving people with developmental disabilities, we explore how federal education dollars currently support essential services, what’s at risk if that funding disappears, and how local communities can respond. From early intervention to IEP implementation and long-term equity concerns, our panel unpacks the cascading effects these cuts could have on students, families, and schools across the state.
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Department of Education Cuts and Implications for Children with Disabilities (YouTube)
The Michele Corey Child Advocacy Summit and The Important of Including Youth Voice
April 1, 2025
In this episode, we reflect on the 2023 Michele Corey Child Advocacy Summit and the powerful moments that reminded us why youth voices must be at the center of our work. Advocacy is most effective when it’s inclusive, and we explore what it truly means to uplift the voices of those we serve.
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The Michele Corey Child Advocacy Summit and The Important of Including Youth Voice (YouTube)
Recent Changes in Immigration Enforcement and their Impact on
Michigan Kids and Families
February 27, 2025
Our Host and CEO, Matt Gillard, is joined by special guests from the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center and @centro.multicultural to discuss the recent changes in Immigration Enforcement and their impacts on Michigan kids and families. Tune in to hear a very timely episode from experts on the matter.
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Recent Changes in Immigration Enforcement and their Impact on (YouTube)
The Policy of Reading
January 9, 2025
Special Guest Brian Jordan sits down with our President and CEO, Matt Gillard, to discuss the policy of reading. You might remember Brian from his days of playing for the Falcons and Braves, but since retiring, Brian has become a champion for children. Listen to this episode to learn about his foundation, living with dyslexia, and why advocating for children is important to him.
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The Policy of Reading (YouTube)
Shaping the Future: Election Priorities for Children and Families
October 15, 2024
Following our recent Lunch and Learn on key child and family advocacy issues in this election, join Matt Gillard as he sits down with Charles Bruner, the director of InCK Marks and a leading voice in child policy. Together, they discuss critical issues on the ballot and explore what advocates need to prepare for—no matter the outcome in November.
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Shaping the Future: Election Priorities for Children and Families (YouTube)
Kiss The Babies, Raising the Awareness of Gun Violence
July 29, 2024
Niemiec, the Executive Producer of the documentary “Kiss the Babies,” and India Williams, an advocate against gun violence and the inspiration behind the film. Gun violence has become the leading cause of death for children in the U.S., often only gaining attention after mass shootings. “Kiss the Babies” aims to highlight the everyday impact of gun violence on youth. India, a victim of gun violence, shares how a stray bullet forever changed her life. Tune in as Dennis and India call for increased awareness around this critical issue.
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Exchange for Change: What Happens when Police & Youth Come Together to Try to Bridge the Gap
June 17, 2024
Speaking for Kids host Matt Gillard, president and CEO of Michigan’s Children, welcomes participants from Peckham – Flint’s recent “Exchange for Change” program, the multi-week roundtable between law enforcement officers and court-involved youths. Over four weeks, seven officers from the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department and Flint Police sat down with seven youths enrolled in Peckham’s Youth Services Program with the goal to find ways to “bridge the gap” between the community and police. They explored difficult topics including trauma, implicit bias, policing practices, and individual rights, and discovered a shared desire to improve their home community. In this podcast, Matt talks with the guests about the impact the Flint Water Crisis had on youth behavior and the distrust of authority that emerge from that environmental disaster. The Flint cohort is the third in a series of dialogues that started with meetings between local law enforcement and youth enrolled in Peckham’s Lansing program since the program launched in November 2021. A fourth session is planned in the fall. The program is a collaboration between Peckham and Michigan’s Children. Listen to it today.
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Why this School Chief Embraces Community-Based Providers in Pre-K for All
May 28, 2024
Michigan’s Children Speaking for Kids podcast host Matt Gillard welcomes Schools Superintendent John M. Searles, head of the Midland County Educational Service Agency, to discuss expansion of Pre-K for All. In a wide-ranging conversation, they discuss the expansion in light of a contentious House budget plan that would negatively impact funding to community-based child care providers in favor of those operated by intermediate school districts. Listen into this timely conversation around developing state budget plans for universal Pre-K.
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The New Movement for Equity in School Funding
April 3, 2024
Michigan’s Children’s Matt Gillard talks with Jeff Cobb, Director of Government Affairs at Education Trust-Midwest, about the pressing need for equity in education funding. Gillard and Cobb advocate for increased investment in education, stressing the long-term benefits and cost savings associated with improving educational outcomes. They draw parallels between Michigan and Massachusetts’ academic success, emphasizing the need for strategic investments to narrow the gap. Despite recent progress, they call for continued efforts to fully fund the Opportunity Index and double funding for English learners, setting Michigan on a path toward greater opportunity and prosperity for all.
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Making ‘PreK for All’ Work for All
February 29, 2024
Michigan’s Children’s Matt Gillard sits down with Jeff Capizzano, President of the Policy Equity Group, to talk frankly about Governor Whitmer’s “PreK for All” plan now that expanding free 4-year-old preschool is moving closer to becoming a reality with major state funding outlined in Whitmer’s proposed FY2025 budget recommendations. They discuss the plan’s “roadmap” for quickly expanding the state-funded preschool program at no cost to families, regardless of household income, while guarding against negatively impacting enrollment counts of private-pay, community-based child care providers.
Capizzano, whose Washington, D.C. firm was hired by the Governor’s office to work on an implementation plan, said the final recommendations represent a comprehensive strategy to better compensate early childhood educators, support the varied needs of families, and maintain viable child care businesses. He warned against “cherry picking” certain recommendations over others.
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Debriefing the Governor’s State of the State Address
January 25, 2024
To debrief Governor Whitmer’s 2024 State of the State address, Michigan’s Children’s Speaking for Kids Podcast Host Matt Gillard welcomes back two veteran Lansing lobbyist who have spent their careers working on children’s issues in Michigan. Specifically, they look at what she plans to champion on behalf of kids & families in the second year of her second term in office. Listen in and learn how you can raise your voices for the issues you care about. Returning guests are Andrea M. Cascarilla, Government Policy Advisor, Dykema; and Matt Kurta, Partner, Karoub Associates.
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