As tensions mount in the upcoming presidential election, it is important that candidates for the highest office in our U.S. government—and all elected officials, for that matter—recognize the power of data to make informed decisions that positively impact people and communities.
In addition to national data, it’s important to dive deeper into state and local level data to get a clear picture of how people are doing and what they really need to succeed. There’s so much at stake, especially for children.
For example, children suffering from food insecurity is one problem area where data has helped bring about some recent, positive changes here in Michigan. After years of improving food security, Our state’s latest Kids Count data shows a recent increase in food insecurity from 282,320 (13.1%) in 2021 to 378,040 (17.9%) in 2022.This increase is worrying because we all know that not eating enough nutritious food can have disastrous effects on children’s development, leading to poor physical and mental health and poor academic performance.
Fortunately, the Michigan Legislature and Governor Gretchen Whitmer have made some smart decisions over the past few years that we hope will be reflected in future Kids Count data. In 2023, Michigan became the seventh state in the U.S. to approve free school meals for all public school students—a program that will continue to be offered in the upcoming school year thanks to the state’s continued investment in the fiscal year 2024-2025 budget. In addition, the federal Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) summer program has now been made permanent, with the state continuing to provide funding to provide food assistance through EBT during the summer when children lack access to school meals and childhood hunger is skyrocketing.
The state has also continued its strong support of the Double Up Food Bucks program by increasing funding over the past two budget cycles, and plans to launch a one-year Hunger-Free Campus Scholarship pilot program in the coming fiscal year to combat hunger among college students.
In addition to directly addressing food insecurity, the state has also recently made some historic strides in better supporting the overall basic needs of Michigan families by investing more funds from Temporary Assistance to Needy Families into the state’s Basic Assistance Program, increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit from 6% to 30% of the federal tax exemption, and supporting the implementation and expansion of the Rx Kids program.
All of these investments were critical, especially following the federal decision to end the pandemic-related expansion of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in early 2023, as well as the uncertainty surrounding the Farm Bill and whether or not it will be finalized this year. In any case, it is important that the provision that refunds money to SNAP participants whose benefits were stolen be extended.
And as discussions move forward on the future farm bill, it is critical that our existing social safety nets are strengthened, not weakened, because across the country, tens of thousands of families and children depend on these programs to survive, including a growing number here in Michigan.
According to our latest Kids Count data The percentage of Michigan children ages 0-18 receiving SNAP benefits has slowly increased since 2019 And the percentage of children ages 0 to 4 receiving benefits from the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program increased significantly from 2021 to 2022 after several years of steady decline. In 2023, 23.6% of our state’s children were dependent on SNAP benefits, and in 2022, nearly half – 48.7% – of our state’s infants and toddlers were dependent on WIC benefits.
Food insecurity is just one of many important issues facing children in our state and country today, which is why our Kids Count data is critical at the national and state levels to continue monitoring children’s situations and making informed decisions at all levels of government.
Later this month, the Michigan League for Public Policy will host its Champions for Kids Luncheon, where we will share our 2024 Children Counting in Michigan Data Profiles, that delve deeper into many of the issues facing Michigan children today and explore solutions to improve child well-being. Data profiles include national, regional and selected city data in four categories: economic security, education, health and safety, and family and community. New this year is the Data profiles Also included are specific indicators for children ages 0-5 to better understand early childhood in Michigan.
As the state’s Kids Count organization, the League looks forward to continuing to provide new insights each year about the well-being of Michigan’s children that can benefit policymakers and other leaders as they make important decisions that impact the lives of young people.
