A version of this column originally appeared in Michigan Advance.
If we want to guarantee that Michigan’s youth are thriving, then we need greater investment in their education, their health and their economic well-being.
This year’s Kids Count in Michigan Data Profiles from the Michigan League for Public Policy show that, despite some small wins, policy failures have left children in Michigan more food insecure, worse academically and with less economic assistance than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Child food insecurity in Michigan has increased by nearly 40% since 2019, rising in 82 of 83 counties. And Michigan’s wealthiest counties saw some of the greatest relative increases, showing a concerning trend that is affecting kids and families throughout the state. Despite more and more households struggling to afford basic needs, the majority of Michigan counties have fewer children receiving benefits from Medicaid and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
These trends are concerning, given that, during the same period, unemployment has increased and the median household income has remained stagnant after controlling for inflation.
Michigan’s kids also have some of the worst educational outcomes in the country – and they are not getting better. From third-grade reading to college readiness, nearly every county in Michigan is showing worse academic performance than from before the pandemic.
Fortunately, we already know the avenues we can take to tackle these challenges.
One of the positive outcomes in this year’s data profiles is the improvement in 1- and 2-year-olds who are being tested for lead in most counties. We are likely to see even greater improvements in the coming years, due to a law now in effect requiring physicians to test children for lead at 12 and 24 months.
We need similar policy change and investment across the various domains of youth well-being, particularly education and economic security.
For example, Michigan spending on public education instruction has struggled to return to levels at the turn of the century. However, just this summer, Gov. Whitmer signed a budget that modestly increased per-pupil K-12 spending and a law that will implement professional development for K-5 teachers to improve youth reading outcomes.
At the federal level, cuts are going to continue to harm kids. Changes to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding have resulted in fewer children receiving benefits since the implementation of the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” Future federal budget proposals also aim to slash support for programs that help children access healthy, affordable food, such as the WIC cash value benefit for fruits and vegetables.
Given the need for intervention, measuring the progress in youth well-being is critical. Ongoing data tells us if families need assistance, if children are doing well in school and if policies are working.
In particular, Kids Count in Michigan aims to provide data on children’s outcomes for every county in the state, no matter how large or small. In this effort, we rely on data from state and federal agencies as well as national nonprofit organizations – but some of these data are at risk.
Among the staggering number of altered or discontinued federal surveys is the federal food security survey, which is the country’s gold standard for estimating the prevalence of food insecurity. Our county-level child food insecurity data from Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap rely on this survey to create accurate estimates.
There are even greater changes coming to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. A recent administrative order banned the use of certain data privacy practices, which is already causing delays to the much-relied-upon American Community Survey. This order might result in less data for areas with smaller populations, which could impact rural areas here in Michigan. This is on top of the federal abandonment of a directive that would have enhanced the collection of race and ethnicity data, such as by creating a new category for Middle Eastern and North African individuals.
Just this month, the Bureau published a proposed rule that would exclude noncitizens and remove questions about race and ethnicity from the decennial Census. These two provisions could overhaul our ability to understand who lives where, to allocate appropriate funding and to equitably distribute political power. (The exclusion of noncitizens from the Census is also widely considered to be unconstitutional.)
These sweeping changes may hinder our ability to understand how young people – of all backgrounds, in all corners of the state – are doing.
In the meantime, the League will continue to advocate for policies that invest in the well-being of children and young adults here in Michigan. The data we have now shows that they need it.
You can explore all of the Kids Count in Michigan Data Profiles by visiting https://mlpp.org/2026-kids-count-in-michigan-data-profiles/.
Maisha Massey is a Detroit native, educator, researcher and advocate committed to creating more equitable experiences for young people and the communities that support them. She currently teaches 11th-grade English Language Arts in Detroit Public Schools Community District and serves as a TeachMichigan Michigan Education Policy Fellow. Maisha holds a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and is currently pursuing her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Wayne State University, where her research centers the experiences of Black girls in schools. Her work is grounded in the belief that meaningful policy should be informed by the voices and lived experiences of the students, educators and communities most impacted by it.
Betsy Zobl-Tar 
Jay Cutler joined the League in March 2026 as the Kids Count Senior Data Analyst, where he collects, analyzes, and prepares data for Kids Count in Michigan.
Danielle Taylor-Basemore joined the League as the Development Data and Stewardship Coordinator in June 2025. She brings with her five years of nonprofit experience with a special focus on community engagement, data visualization and strategic programming. Prior to joining the League, Danielle served as the Business District, Safety, and Digital Manager at Jefferson East, Inc.
Scott Preston is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Michigan League for Public Policy, where he leads the organization’s immigration and criminal justice reform portfolios. In the three years prior to joining the League, Scott facilitated the Southeast Michigan Refugee Collaborative and managed a small business economic development program at Global Detroit. His work included launching Michigan’s first Refugee Film Festival and building on a trusted connector model that linked marginalized communities with crucial resources. Scott’s work at the League is informed by his background in journalism and research. He spent four years covering the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East for publications such as The Economist, and later worked with unaccompanied refugee minors through Samaritas. Scott holds a master’s degree in international migration and public policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Kate Powers joined the League as the Chief Development Officer in February 2025. Prior to joining the League, Kate held leadership positions at many Michigan nonprofit organizations, most recently serving as the COO and Chief Development Officer of Ele’s Place. Kate has spent the bulk of her career in fundraising, with a short stint in the state Legislature as a legislative aide to members in both chambers. Kate is a graduate of Michigan State University’s James Madison College with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Relations and has a certificate in fundraising management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. Additionally, Kate served on the East Lansing Public Schools Board of Education and is a past President of the Junior League of Lansing. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and her son and saving outfit of the day and home decor ideas on Pinterest. 
Nicholas Hess joined the League as the Fiscal Policy Analyst in September of 2024. In this role, Nicholas focuses on tax policy, government revenue, and their impact on working families and racial equity, including the effects of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC). Nicholas values the role that judicious fiscal policy can play in the improvement of people’s lives and the economy, alleviating inequities along the way.
Audrey Matusz joined the League as the Visual Communications Specialist in September 2024. She supports the team with implementing social media strategies and brainstorming creative ways to talk about public policy. She brings with her nearly a decade of experience in producing digital products for evidence-based social justice initiatives. 
Jacob Kaplan 
Donald Stuckey 
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
Mikell Frey is a communications professional with a passion for using the art of storytelling to positively impact lives. She strongly believes that positive social change can be inspired by the sharing of data-driven information coupled with the unique perspectives of people from all walks of life across Michigan, especially those who have faced extraordinary barriers. 
Yona Isaacs (she/hers) is an Early Childhood Data Analyst for the Kids Count project. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, she began her career as a research coordinator in pediatric psychiatry using data to understand the impacts of brain activity and genetics on children’s behavior and mental health symptoms. This work prompted an interest in exploring social determinants of health and the role of policy in promoting equitable opportunities for all children, families, and communities. She returned to the University of Michigan to complete her Masters in Social Work focused on Social Policy and Evaluation, during which she interned with the ACLU of Michigan’s policy and legislative team and assisted local nonprofit organizations in creating data and evaluation metrics. She currently serves as a coordinator for the Michigan Center for Youth Justice on a project aiming to increase placement options and enhance cultural competency within the juvenile justice system for LGBTQIA+ youth. Yona is eager to put her data skills to work at the League in support of data-driven policies that advocate for equitable access to healthcare, education, economic security, and opportunity for 0-5 year old children. In her free time, she enjoys tackling DIY house projects and trying new outdoor activities with her dog.
Rachel Richards rejoined the League in December 2020 as the Fiscal Policy Director working on state budget and tax policies. Prior to returning to the League, she served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Department of Treasury, the tax policy analyst and Legislative Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy, and a policy analyst and the Appropriations Coordinator for the Democratic Caucus of the Michigan House of Representatives. She brings with her over a decade of experience in policies focused on economic opportunity, including workforce issues, tax, and state budget.
Simon Marshall-Shah joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a State Policy Fellow in August 2019. His work focuses on state policy as it relates to the budget, immigration, health care and other League policy priorities. Before joining the League, he worked in Washington, D.C. at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), providing federal policy and advocacy support to nonprofit, Medicaid health plans (Safety Net Health Plans) related to the ACA Marketplaces as well as Quality & Operations.
Renell Weathers, Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) Community Engagement Consultant. As community engagement consultant, Renell works with organizations throughout the state in connecting the impact of budget and tax policies to their communities. She is motivated by the belief that all children and adults deserve the opportunity to achieve their dreams regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or economic class.
Emily Jorgensen joined the Michigan League for Public Policy in July 2019. She deeply cares about the well-being of individuals and families and has a great love for Michigan. She is grateful that her position at the League enables her to combine these passions and work to help promote policies that will lead to better opportunities and security for all Michiganders.
Megan Farnsworth joined the League’s staff in December 2022 as Executive Assistant. Megan is driven by work that is personally fulfilling, and feels honored to help support the work of an organization that pushes for more robust programming and opportunities for the residents of our state. She’s excited and motivated to gain overarching knowledge of the policies and agendas that the League supports.
