When my colleagues and I began discussing updates to the Kids Count data profiles last fall, I was looking forward to highlighting improvements in children’s well-being in Michigan.

In a line of work where it can be difficult to clearly see the impact of your efforts and positive change can often take years (and sometimes tears), it was partly out of a selfish desire for some good news — and sincere appreciation for all that child advocates around the state do — that I was excited to focus on what’s going well.

But COVID-19 changed our reality, along with everyone else’s, and it raises some major concerns about where Michigan kids are and where we’re headed.

We tackle both ends of that spectrum and more in our 2020 Kids Count online data profiles that were released today and are available at mlpp.org/kids-count/2020profiles.

THE GOOD

Statewide and in most counties, teen birth rates have gone down, allowing more teens to stay kids for longer before taking up the responsibility of starting a family. A majority of counties saw more students graduating high school on time, and fewer families and kids are wracked by the stress and lack of resources from living in poverty.

In the last year, clear policy wins expanded access to needed services. For example, asset limit tests for food and other state assistance eligibility was tripled from $5,000 to $15,000 to allow more families to receive support without being punished for saving for the future. And nearly 100,000 Michiganders were able to keep their health insurance after work requirements were struck down by a federal court.

Those changes were made possible by the endless efforts of caregivers, advocates, service providers, educators and policymakers.

THE BAD

Those highlights are certainly significant. But the reality is that many Michigan kids and their families are still struggling, and we have even more work ahead of us in light of COVID.

As the newest Kids Count data profiles highlight, Michigan families are struggling. And children suffer for it. Though childhood poverty has gone down, nearly one in five Michigan children still live in poverty, and the number of folks who can’t afford a “bare-bones budget” (but are not technically in poverty) increased by nearly 95,000 households in the last decade.

Even more, one in 10 kids still live in dangerously “deep” or extreme poverty, our youngest kids (those up to 5 years old) are most likely to be food-insecure, and the cost of child care and housing alone can eat up almost half the budget of workers with low incomes. This is not how we build a stronger Michigan.

We can’t set up our children for the best life possible when families can’t afford basic necessities or — and just as importantly — enrichment. Every day that we miss the mark, we miss an opportunity to help children grow and live optimally.

THE UGLY

Michigan is one of the most unequal states in the nation when it comes to earnings: the top 1% make over 20 times that of the bottom 99%. For over 20 years, earnings for the top 1% increased while the latter decreased. That’s not by happenstance — policies have fancied the wealthy and corporations while defunding schools, restricting access to services that help families make ends meet, and reducing tax credits for low and moderate earners.

Poverty is not inevitable. But, if we don’t prioritize children and families in our budget, those ugly trends will continue. COVID-19 and its impact has been hitting people with lower incomes particularly hard, and the economic struggles that follow will, as well, widening the income gap instead of closing it.

THE CALL TO ACTION

There is also a list of policy targets that can help us course-correct and ensure we help children, families, and workers get through and recover from the health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19 stronger than ever.

We know that restoring the state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) back to its former levels could triple the average EITC refund amount from $150 to $500 for tens of thousands of Michiganders. The 10 Cents a Meal program can be extended to every school district and child care centers to help farmers get local, healthy foods to our fast-growing kids. A weighted school funding formula will make sure all school districts can equitably meet all students’ needs.

To help counties quickly understand how they’re trending for a number of indicators, we replaced the ranking system with green, yellow and red dots to visualize what’s getting better, staying stagnant or worsening. In this way, counties can quickly see where they have made progress in children’s well-being. It also allows us to look internally to consider the best steps forward and biggest challenges facing each county.

The Kids Count profiles can be used year-round, and the online data center has yearly data, ranking and graphs available. Every month that we wait and every year that doesn’t adequately fund services for kids is a missed opportunity we can’t get back.

This year, we must celebrate the wins while staying serious about calculating our next steps to help kids.

Kelsey Perdue is Kids Count in Michigan director for the Michigan League for Public Policy.