A version of this column originally appeared in Michigan Advance.
At the League, we know kids and their families come first when making budget and policy decisions, and the Michigan they inherit will depend entirely on the investments we make today in their schools and neighborhoods as well as in workers and our economy.
While the pandemic era saw incredible investment from 2020 to 2024 to help kids, families and young adults cope with the disruptions, state and federal policy in 2025 has reversed course in a big way. The federal megabill signed into law in July saw the largest cuts to Medicaid and SNAP on record, programs that 43% and 23% of kids in Michigan rely on, respectively, to access health care and nutritious food.
The new Kids Count in Michigan data shows declines in infant mortality and teen births, high rates of health insurance coverage and improvements in access to prenatal care and lead testing, but these bright spots in the health domain may prove tenuous as the bill’s worst cuts take effect. The bill will devastate state funding with nearly $2.2 billion in Medicaid cuts alone while ripping away health care from over a million Michiganders in the coming decade.
In addition, the bill cuts SNAP by over 20% over the next 10 years, taking away vital food assistance even as food costs and childhood food insecurity continue to rise. An estimated 74,000 Michigan adults – including 35,000 with children ages 14 to 18 – are at risk of losing food assistance because of new work reporting requirements.
Federal budget cuts are not the only risk to a vibrant future for children in Michigan. The continued failure to pass a state budget threatens to deepen these harms.
Lawmakers in Lansing have neglected to pass a state budget on time, held up by an ongoing conflict on how to fund road repairs. But the solution to Michigan’s long-decaying roads cannot come at the expense of kids. The impasse continues to delay a state budget even as students across the state have returned to schools that remain in the dark about their funding future.
And now is not the time to ignore the needs of Michigan students. Education is the Kids Count domain that continues to see the worst outcomes, with third-grade reading and eighth-grade math scores down and fewer students graduating college-ready. In addition, the new data shows an all-time high number of students eligible for special education services, but the state continues to employ an inequitable funding formula that reimburses just 28.6% of special education costs to schools.
If we envision a future where families want to raise their children in Michigan, we need to be investing in a truly pro-kid policy agenda. This includes meeting families’ care needs, such as funding the true cost of early care and education as well as enacting paid family and medical leave for all workers.
A pro-kid agenda will also prioritize children’s health by offering continuous Medicaid coverage for young children, improving access to mental health services in public schools and increasing state spending on tobacco prevention and cessation. It will prioritize education by fully funding the Opportunity Index for schools with high levels of concentrated poverty and adopting universal free community college to help the state reach its Sixty by 30 goal.
A pro-kid agenda will also include young adults, who face the highest poverty rate of any age group but are currently left out of the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit. It will reexamine life without parole for emerging adults as research on brain development shows they are still in a phase of heavy brain development.
Finally, a pro-kid agenda will provide economic security for all families through the adoption of a Michigan Child Tax Credit and improving access to the Family Independence Program, Michigan’s primary cash assistance program for families with very little or no income.
The official deadline to pass a state budget is disappearing further into the rearview mirror with no compromise in sight, but now is not the time to forget the needs of our youngest residents. The 2025 Kids Count in Michigan Data Book and Profiles reminds lawmakers to look at the data when making decisions and provides recommendations on how we can prioritize kids in policymaking.
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.
