A version of this column originally appeared in Michigan Advance.
Despite advancements in every racial and ethnic group in some areas over the past decade, wide disparities remain for children of color in all areas–education, health and economic security. This is particularly acute for Black children, who not only have the lowest outcomes of any racial or ethnic group of children in Michigan, but are also underperforming nationally in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s new Race for Results® report. Kids are missing critical developmental milestones as a direct result of failure to invest in policies, programs and services that support kids, especially in communities of color or under-resourced areas.
Starting from the cradle, let’s take a look at our youngest children—newborn babies. Michigan lagged behind the national average when looking at babies being born at normal birthweights. Black babies had the lowest outcomes of all races in Michigan, with only 84.2% being born at healthy birthweights, compared with 90.8% of all other races. Babies being born at low birthweights can contribute to adverse health outcomes like higher neonatal mortality and inhibited growth and cognitive development.
Though insurance coverage and care access are a part of these bleak birth outcomes, racism and inequities in social and economic structures still primarily drive healthcare outcomes, even when controlling for things like education and income.
The report showed that, overall, the number of kids ages 3-5 enrolled in nursery school, preschool or kindergarten is also faltering. Children who identified as two or more races had the lowest enrollment rates at just 54%, with Black and Hispanic children tied for second lowest at 55%. It is important to stress that young students who arrive at kindergarten prepared to learn perform better throughout school and have better chances of completing more years of education.
Just 10% of Black fourth-graders in Michigan were reading proficiently—less than half of that of all other races. This was one of the starkest differences in the scores we saw. In Michigan, still only 28% of all fourth-graders were reading proficiently. We know there is a correlation between reading proficiency and high school graduation rates, and in Michigan still only 82% of high schoolers are graduating on time, contributing to Michigan’s rank as one of the ten lowest states in educational outcomes.
Thankfully, in 2023, Michigan adopted state school funding formulas that include an index for concentrations of poverty, called the “Opportunity Index.” This creates more investment in students who qualify for at-risk funding based on a school district’s concentration of poverty, allowing for more fiscal resources to be devoted to students who may be struggling academically in school. And in her budget presentation on Tuesday, Feb. 7, the governor announced her plan to continue to carefully target school funding according to the unique needs of students and communities.
Recent state budgets have gone a long way toward making sure schools are sufficiently funded, but that’s coming on the heels of decades of disinvestment. And that disinvestment in education is compounded by a history of discriminatory policies rooted in racism around housing, property tax limits and local funding for neighborhoods.
Positively across Michigan, we see that Black, American Indian and Hispanic children as well as children who identify as two or more races are more likely than a decade ago to live in two-parent families. Families with two parents are more likely to be financially secure. We also saw improvements across all races and ethnicities in the share of young adults who are in school or working. American Indian, Asian and Hispanic young adults in Michigan are even outperforming their national peers in this metric. Following the national trend, we also saw increases in family income across race and ethnicity.
The truth is that we need kids of every race and ethnicity to grow up ready to provide their talents, intellect and hard work to make our country strong and prosperous, and we know these disparities could be reduced with smart policy choices that address the gaps in educational outcomes:
- The federal Child Tax Credit should be expanded. The temporary, pandemic-era expansion of the credit lifted 2.1 million children out of poverty, with the share of kids in poverty falling to 5.2% in 2021, the lowest rate on record. The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bipartisan tax plan that would expand the federal credit, and we’re hopeful that the U.S. Senate will follow suit.
- Universal school meals provide kids with the nutrients they need to grow and succeed in school and beyond. While lawmakers in Michigan have temporarily adopted universal free school meals, now is time to make it permanent, which Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed in her state budget presentation on Tuesday, Feb. 7.
- Michigan is working toward expanding free pre-K to all Michigan 4-year-olds, but families also need access to universal preschool so infants and toddlers also have access to high-quality care.
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.
Jacob Kaplan 
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. 
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.
Donald Stuckey 
Patrick Schaefer
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
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.
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.
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.
Amber Bellazaire joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a policy analyst in June of 2019. Her work primarily focuses on state policy and budgets affecting Michigan’s Medicaid programs. Previously, Amber worked at the National Conference of State Legislatures tracking legislation and research related to injury and violence prevention, adolescent health, and maternal and child health. She also brings with her two years of Americorps service. As a full time volunteer, Amber had the opportunity to tutor high school students in Chelsea, Massachusetts and address issues of healthcare access and food insecurity through in-person outreach in Seattle, Washington.
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.
