Michigan received more than $1 billion in federal pandemic funds to provide financial relief for child care providers and families That funding is about to end, likely forcing many providers to close Child care providers already face worker shortages Thousands of Michigan families are expected to face a child care crisis beginning this weekend as federal […]
What happens when families have extra cash on hand each month — no strings attached? Hundreds of moms in two different cities are finding out. Flint, Michigan and Jackson, Mississippi, may be separated by more than 900 miles, but their similarities have driven a new approach to fighting child poverty. Both have high rates of […]
A cash-assistance program for expectant moms and babies, which first began in Flint more than a year ago, is growing its reach to hundreds more families across Michigan. Rx Kids, led by Flint pediatrician Dr. Mona Hanna, began taking applications in Kalamazoo this week and will kick off in the eastern Upper Peninsula next month. So […]
Darnell Currie Jr. was a football player at heart and a curious third grader. A’millah Currie loved watching the children’s cartoon, Bluey, and playing hide-and-seek. Their funeral on Thursday captured their childhood. Stuffed animals surrounded 2-year-old A’millah in her pink casket, much smaller than the one carrying 9-year-old Darnell Jr. Bluey characters, a football helmet […]
The percentage of non-parents who don’t want children doubled between 2002 and 2023 Michigan is struggling with flat population growth, hobbling business expansion The Trump administration has considered a $5,000 ‘baby bonus’ to incentivize having children Like many women growing up in Allendale, Kim Bode was raised with a set life plan: go to college, […]
The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential announced $4.4 million to pilot the Nurture Benefits program Child care providers can enroll through the Small Business Association of Michigan for health, life and retirement benefits The program aims to address critical shortages in the child care industry Emma Knode is exactly the kind of […]
The Trump administration has halted a $15 million Social Security study that involved the University of Michigan, whose president warns more cuts are likely that will have “serious repercussions” on the school’s budget. The Social Security Administration announced Friday it was ending cooperative agreements with research centers “addressing DEI in Social Security, retirement, and disability policy.” The Michigan […]
Michigan State University stands to lose as much as $23 million a year in federal grants as a result of President Donald Trump’s steep cuts to the US Agency for International Development. Project leads received a series of termination notices Wednesday for federally funded MSU programs aimed at improving higher education and researching agricultural best […]
In the face of rising mental health concerns, Muskegon Community College (MCC) is investing in a new service to connect students with a mental health professional free of charge. In March, TimelyCare will be available to all MCC students 24/7 with on-demand access to master-level mental health care professionals. The new virtual service will provide […]
Michigan underreported tens of thousands of new weekly infections during the worst wave of the COVID-19, an error that state officials didn’t correct until last month. The Michigan Department of Health and Humans Services in October revised the onset date of roughly 200,000 COVID-19 infections and acknowledged to Bridge Michigan that, prior to those changes, […]