A time for transitions

Sweater weather certainly came abruptly this year. Like a switch was flipped, we went from summer to autumn in a matter of hours—and right on the first official day of the season.

Most transitions don’t happen that way, of course. In our work we see a lot of incremental change, sometimes happening so gradually that we forget how far we’ve come or how much we’ve done. This month we’re experiencing some major transitions, both as a state and as an organization, so I’d like to take a moment to reflect.

The 2022 state budget passed yesterday after months of discussion and debate. We were so pleased that this bipartisan agreement included investments in so many of the League’s priorities—the things that will help Michigan families, kids and workers thrive. Things like: Michigan Reconnect and Futures for Frontliners; the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies program—and specifically the extension of Medicaid coverage for new moms to one year postpartum—both key recommendations in the League’s 2020 Right Start Report; Home visiting programs for new parents; wage increases for direct care workers; The Lead Poisoning Prevention Fund; the Double Up Food Bucks Program that gives more food assistance money for healthy fruits and vegetables; and healthcare for residents experiencing sickle cell disease, which predominantly impacts Black Michiganders.

There were so many positives in yesterday’s budget, and we hope that this bipartisanship and spirit of compromise will continue as the Legislature and governor continue to hammer out an agreement in the coming months on how—and where—to spend the unprecedented billions of dollars in federal funding the state currently has to work with.

 One of the biggest highlights in the budget is the significant investment in child care, including expanding the economic eligibility level for the state’s child care subsidy, and providing stabilization grants and increasing reimbursement rates to providers to help them stay above water and protect their bottom line. Funding is also directed to help expand care for infants and toddlers, the biggest child care need around the state, especially in rural areas, as well as startup grants, facility improvements and technical assistance for child care providers and bonuses for the state’s underpaid child care workers who earn just barely over the minimum wage. 

The work around child care in Michigan brings me to the next transition, and this one is bittersweet. This month we say farewell to Pat Sorenson, a tireless advocate for kids and families in our state, as she retires from the League. Pat has worked for nearly four decades to improve public policies that impact children, serving as the League’s first Kids Count in Michigan project director, the senior director for policy and advocacy at the Early Childhood Investment Corporation, the vice president for policy at Michigan’s Children, and will retire from the League as a senior policy analyst. I can’t overstate the contributions Pat has made here in Michigan. She is a champion for children, a highly informed expert, a trusted colleague, and our dear friend. Though she may officially be retiring on September 30, I can tell you we’ll continue to keep her on speed dial!

We’ve had a few additional staff transitions at the League this month: Kelli Bowers has joined us as a Kids Count Data Analyst, and Simon Marshall-Shah, who has been our State Policy Fellow for the past two years, has accepted a permanent position with the League as a policy analyst. 

Of course, a big transition is on the horizon for me, as well. As I prepare to retire from the League later this year, I’m reflecting on all the advancements I’ve seen in public policy throughout the decades I’ve worked to serve the people of Michigan. As we fight now for transformational change, racial and economic justice and equitable investments, let’s remember how far we’ve come, but let’s keep our eyes on the future. We’ve got so much exciting work ahead.