It might be hard to believe, but young people will be trickling into school over the coming weeks for a new year with friends. Teachers will once again have their classrooms filled with bright faces, and the challenge to get to know their students starts anew.
For most, that process begins with a simple but important first step: taking attendance.
Taking attendance is so important that our country has its own version of this tradition — the census. Every 10 years, everyone in the United States is counted, or at least they’re supposed to be. This includes our kids, from newborns to teenagers.
The truth is many kids end up getting missed — especially young kids, kids of color and kids living in families with low incomes. Kids in immigrant families are also at risk of being undercounted in the census, and this upcoming count is no exception. Despite the President Trump administration folding on the inclusion of a citizenship question, it’s likely that many immigrant families will be fearful of being counted, given the Trump administration targeting immigrants.
It’s critical that all of us are counted — including our kids.
Why? census numbers will determine funding for many programs over the next decade, like the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), special education funding and foster care programs just to name a few.
Political districts will also be drawn based on census counts. If kids are missed, the communities they live in will miss out on public dollars and political representation.
In Michigan, it’s estimated that over 10,000 young children were missed in the 2010 census, leading to over $9.7 million dollars per year lost in federal funding. We cannot let this happen again.
Young children, children of color, children in immigrant families and children in low-income families are at particular risk of being undercounted in the 2020 census.
This is due to a variety of factors, including unstable and transient living situations, it being harder to count children living in communities with many multi-unit buildings, and general government distrust and fear, the latter of which was ratcheted up Trump’s initially proposed citizenship question on the 2020 census.
Please join the Michigan League for Public Policy and others in planning for census 2020 now. The League’s Kids Count in Michigan project has developed a new data tool to provide estimates of kids that may be at risk of being undercounted in your county.
By showing the estimates of these particular populations in Michigan and its counties, this data tool can empower local communities, officials and advocates to understand their demographics and work to ensure all their residents and their children are counted.
The League also is proud to be a part of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s census Complete Count Committee, which is designed to assist in a complete and accurate census count in Michigan.
As Whitmer said, “The 2020 census count will dictate how much federal funding is allotted to Michigan for our schools, infrastructure, and how many Representatives we have in the United States House of Representatives.”
Come next April, let’s make sure all of us are counted. Let’s raise our voices, like we did in school, and proudly proclaim — we are here!
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.
