A new report on children’s well-being shows improvement among Michigan kids.
The 2023 Kids Count report shows marked improvement in child poverty and teen birth rates. Researchers credit some of the improvement to COVID pandemic-era policies that have since expired, including an expanded federal child tax credit.
Anne Kuhnen is the Kids Count Michigan Policy Director. She said elected leaders could try new policies to build upon the gains.
“There are things that we’ve already seen some progress on. But there’s also a lot that we could try to actually implement on a long-term basis,” said Kuhnen.
The Kids Count report also documents a continued decline in third grade reading proficiency that started before the pandemic. Rates of low birth weight in babies in Michigan also worsened.
In a recent national Kids Count report, Michigan ranked in the lower half of states in several major categories.