Public News Service

Although food insecurity can be faced by anyone, Black and Latino children are twice as likely to face hunger because of discrimination based on race. And in 2022, 33% of single-parent families experienced food insecurity. (Piman Khrutmuang/Adobe Stock)

Michigan students get a boost to summer food access

Michigan is planning ahead to make sure kids from lower-income families have enough to eat this summer. The state has opted into a federal food …

Achievement data for fourth grade and eighth grade rural Michigan students experiencing poverty and all rural students ranks in the middle compared to other U.S. states. (ruslanita/Adobe Stock)

Report: Rural Michigan students need school counselors

A new report said Michigan has the lowest professional-to-student ratio of all states and pointed to the particular staffing needs of rural schools…

In the America's Health Rankings report, Michigan ranks 18th among states for childhood immunizations, and 27th for kids getting preventive dental care. (tigercat_lpg/Adobe Stock)

Report shows uptick in mental health concerns for MI women

Michigan women have mental-health concerns at rates higher than the national average, according to a new report. The United Health Foundation …

Michigan obesity rates have more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the last 30 years. (Adobe Stock)

MI adults learn to 'lead by example' for kids' heart health

Heart disease is Michigan's number one cause of death. This is the time of year that parents can step up their efforts to prevent it - in the next …

Michigan is among 20 states to receive a multiyear grant from the Pritzker Children's Initiative. (SneakyPeakPoints/peopleimages.com/Adobe Stock)

MI coalition helps get cash influx to improve childcare

The coalition known as "Think Babies Michigan" has advocated for more than $36 million in funding to offer grants to child-care providers for infants …

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Adverse Childhood Experiences can have lasting effects on a person's health, behaviors and life. (TSViPhoto/Adobe Stock)

Hope for Michigan's Victims of Toxic Childhood Stress

Caregivers should be on alert for stressors among youth during the summer when children are spending more time at home. Adverse Childhood …

American families say the lack of cost-effective and available child care is a major problem in their lives, according to the 2023 Kids Count Data Book. (Adobe Stock)

MI Finishes in Bottom Half of Child Well-Being Rankings

Michigan continues to be ranked in the bottom half of U.S. states for child well-being, according to the latest Kids Count Data Book. This year's …

A new Consent Toolkit has tips for educators, caregivers and parents, for instance, how to respond if a student discloses that they've experienced sexual violence. (Bailey Krestakos/Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health)

Toolkit Provides Resources for Teaching Consent in Grades K-5

A new toolkit for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade provides resources for teaching about issues of consent and healthy relationships…

One Michigan political observer points out that Betsy DeVos won't be the only one shaping education policy. (CSPAN/Wikimedia Commons)

MI Expert Urges Continued Education Advocacy Following DeVos Confirmation

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The contentious battle over the nomination of Betsy DeVos for education secretary is now over, but one expert says the …

Research shows racial disparities exist in Michigan in reading proficiency, school discipline, and graduation rates. (U.S. Dept. of Education)

Tackling Racial Inequities Head On in Michigan

LANSING, Mich. – As hundreds of Michiganders gathered at a forum Monday to discuss poverty and racial inequity, a new report examines …

Evaluations linked to test scores, higher health-care costs and pay freezes are among the challenges faced by Michigan teachers. (Michigan Education Association)

MI Teachers Descend on Lansing to Build Positive Energy

LANSING, Mich. - A week when another Detroit teacher sick-out made headlines will come to a close with educators from around Michigan joining forces …

Some adults believe children today are experiencing less close personal friendships than they did while growing up. (Pixabay)

The Joys of Childhood: Marred by Stress in MI?

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Children today may have better technology and entertainment options than their parents did when growing up, but their health …

Critics say Gov. Rick Snyder's 2017 budget proposal doesn't create a stable revenue stream for the future. (Michigan Municipal League/Flickr)

Michigan Budget Analysis: Short-Term Fixes Not Enough

LANSING, Mich. - Presidential candidates are highlighting troubles in Detroit and Flint, but some policy experts say state government needs to step …

New research says kids who learn new languages will have better job prospects as adults. (Pixabay)

Study: Learning Two Languages Can Boost Brain Power

LANSING, Mich. - A new study of bilingual and monolingual toddlers could be reason for parents to share this story in two languages. Research in the …

New data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation finds too many Michigan children mired in poverty, despite the official end of the Great Recession several years ago. Credit: Enishad Hallwall/Morguefile.

Report Finds More Michigan Kids in Poverty Now Than During Recession

LANSING, Mich. – It's been six years since the official end of the Great Recession, but many Michigan families are still stranded in poverty…

PHOTO: More Michigan kids are getting the nutrition they need to fuel their minds and bodies at school thanks to a federal program that first was piloted in the state and now is available nationwide. Photo credit: alvimann/morguefile.com.

Free Lunch Really Exists for Low-Income MI School Kids

LANSING, Mich. - There really is such a thing as a free lunch, as well as a free breakfast, and more low-income Michigan kids are getting just that …

PHOTO: About 510,000 Michigan children ages birth to 8 live in families earning less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, according to the Michigan League for Public Policy. That's less than $47,000 a year for a family of four. Photo credit: mvictor/morguefile.com

Report: Addressing Poverty Requires Two-Generation Solutions

LANSING, Mich. - Lifting more than a half-million Michigan children out of poverty requires a systemic approach that breaks the cycle by supporting …

PHOTO: Overcrowded classrooms, fewer activities, and fewer staff members are some of the short-term consequences of cuts to K-12 education, but a new report suggests not restoring funding to pre-recession levels puts the future of Michigan students in jeopardy. Photo credit: Kevin Connors M.Ed./Morguefile.

Michigan School Funding Lower Today Than Pre-Recession

LANSING, Mich. - It's a lesson in subtraction. Michigan schools are receiving nearly 10 percent less state funding today than before the recession …

PHOTO: Lily Eskelsen Garcia began her career in education as a lunchroom worker and put herself through college, eventually becoming a teacher and one of the highest-ranking labor leaders in the nation. She fears high college costs will keep others from achieving similar goals if states don't reinvest in higher education. Photo courtesy of NEA.

NEA President Visits MI to Talk "Degrees Not Debt"

EAST LANSING, Mich. - She was the first in her family to go to college, but the head of the nation's largest teachers' union fears many Michigan …

PHOTO: Michigan has a long way to go to provide opportunities for children of all races to succeed, according to a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Photo courtesy US Dept. of Education.

Report: African-American Children in MI Face Barriers To Success

LANSING, Mich. - If Michigan can truly be a place where all kids have the chance to succeed, the state has a long way to go, according to a new …

PHOTO: Eight in ten Michigan fourth-graders from low-income families are not able to read at grade level, says a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Photo credit: stockphotosforfree.com.

Report: Majority of MI Fourth-Graders Reading Below Grade Level

LANSING, Mich. - Michigan isn't making the grade when it comes to teaching children to read, according to a new report. The study from the Annie E…

PHOTO: The YMCA Early Learning Readiness Program for Informal Family, Friend, and Neighbor Caregivers teaches those who watch young children how to provide better learning opportunities for those in their care. Photo courtesy YMCA of the USA.

Early Learning Program Helps Low-Income Kids, Caregivers Succeed

MARQUETTE, Mich. - It's been said it takes a village to raise a child, and the YMCA is reaching out to that village through a pilot program aimed at …

PHOTO: Michigan teachers are calling on Gov. Rick Snyder to put the state's kids at the top of his priority list as he prepares the 2014 budget and determines how best to spend a projected $1 billion surplus. Photo credit: US Dept. of Education

Teachers Call on Snyder to Make Education a Priority

LANSING, Mich. – Michiganders will have the chance to hear Gov. Rick Snyder sum up the past year and lay out his top priorities for 2014 this …

PHOTO: Many Michigan children wonder where their next meal is coming from, particularly when school is not in session, but a new video aims to highlight the different programs available to help ensure they receive healthy meals all year. Photo courtesy of Center for Civil Justice.

Sponsors, Sites Sought For Child Nutrition Programs

SAGINAW, Mich. – Now that most Michigan children are back to school after an extended winter break, teachers, administrators, businesses and …

PHOTO: The first eight years of life are critical for a child's long-term success and transition to adulthood, according to a new study from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Education

Study: Michigan Must Invest in Kids Before Age 8

LANSING, Mich. - When it comes to setting kids up for success, the first eight years of life are the key, according to a new report from the Annie E…

Last year 30-thousand kids were on a waiting list to enroll in the Great Start Readiness Program. A $65-million increase in funding would help close the gap. Photo Credit: Rob South

$65 Million more for Pre-K Education

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Lawmakers this week passed the state's education spending plan for the 2013-2014 school year. It includes a $65 …

Recent studies have shown that infants' brains are reacting to external stresses, even while they sleep. Things like domestic conflicts, violence and other traumatic events can influence a person's behavior later in life - even if they don't have any conscious memory of the original stress.

Infant Stress Linked to Behavior Problems Later in Life

LANSING, Mich. – Recent studies have shown that infants' brains are reacting to external stresses, even while babies sleep. Things such as …

Report: Michigan Among the Highest Child Poverty Rates in the Nation

LANSING, Mich. - The new Annie E. Casey Foundation's national KIDS COUNT Data Book finds more and more Michigan children living in poverty, and more …

Are Safety and Academics Keeping Preschoolers Off the Playground?

LANSING, Mich. - Hopscotch, jump rope and tag are simple childhood pastimes, but Michigan preschoolers in child care may not be getting enough of …

Grade-Level Reading Becomes Urgent Priority in Michigan

DETROIT - Because schools can't do it alone, Detroit, Ann Arbor and more than 150 other cities across the nation are making early literacy an urgent …

To the '3 Rs,' add 'HS' – Healthy Start

LANSING, Mich. - If it takes a village to raise a child, one organization is offering advice to the little villages as well as big cities when it …

New Plan: MI Business Tax Cut is Only Part of Formula for Success

LANSING, Mich. - Michigan businesses are looking forward to recently approved tax breaks, but organizations that help struggling families say that …

MEA: Success of Snyder's Education Reform Depends on Details and Funding

LANSING, Mich. - Stakeholders in education are pondering an education-reform proposal outlined Wednesday by Gov. Rick Snyder. Snyder's 13-page plan …

Report: Many Kids Too Hungry to Learn

LANSING, Mich. - Thousands of teachers in Michigan are ringing the alarm bell because they feel too many kids are just too hungry to learn. A new …

Report: Pre-K Saved from Drastic Cuts, in MI and Elsewhere

LANSING, Mich. - While many state programs are facing funding cuts, Michigan's pre-k program is getting some help this year. After seeing its funding …

Shopping for Tots? Keep it Simple, Santa

LANSING, Mich. - Those battery-operated digital wonder toys have their place, but experts say the best way to help younger children develop …

Congress May be Next to Say, “Go Outside and Play”

LANSING, Mich. - Seven hours in front of electronic entertainment, and seven minutes outside. That's what constitutes "play" for most American kids …

School Lunch or Bridge Card???

LANSING, Mich. - Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are moving to improve school lunch programs, but are getting hung up on how to pay for it. The U.S…

Fighting Childhood Obesity a Family Affair

LANSING, Mich. - About one Michigan teen in four is overweight or obese. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of …

Some Back-to-School Products & "Bounce Houses" Spell Danger for MI Kids

LANSING, Mich. - Backpacks, lunchboxes and binders; what seem like helpful back-to-school supplies for Michigan kids could actually do more harm than …

Environmental Health Risks: Not Just Cancer

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A recent report delivered to President Obama by a special panel appointed by President Bush warned that the risk of cancer from …

Fresh Crop of Michigan Farm-to-School Programs

LANSING, Mich. - Michigan farmers are increasingly selling fresh fruits and vegetables to school lunch programs - which supporters say links K-12 …

Advocates: Leave MI Kids Out of the Budget Battle

LANSING, Mich. - As Michigan struggles to figure out how to fill a huge budget hole, those looking out for the interests of children in the state say …

Michigan Teachers "On the Same Page" With Obama Education Plan

Lansing, MI - President Obama gets an apple on his desk from Michigan teachers for his education agenda, including improved early-childhood and K-12 …

Study: Poverty Leaves School Achievement Behind

East Lansing, MI - School achievement gaps between poor and minority students and the rest of the student population can be explained by looking …

Presidential Candidates on Early Childhood Learning: Head Start Tops the List

Lansing, MI – It's "Head Start Awareness Month" in Michigan, and even the presidential candidates touched on the early childhood education …

Dropout Report: One Size Does Not Fit All

Lansing, MI – The report card is in on how to address Michigan's 15 percent high-school dropout rate. The Michigan Education Association and …

Report: Preschool Benefits Reach Beyond Grades for MI

East Lansing, MI – Preschool really does give kids an edge in learning and development, according to a report released by the Great Lakes …

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MI: Early Childhood Education