On Aug. 21, as many kids headed back to school and parents bustled to work and childcare drop off, hundreds of child advocates gathered in Lansing to get the first look at the latest Kids Count in Michigan data.

Each year, Kids Count in Michigan evaluates child well-being across four key domains: economic security, education, health and safety, and family and community. This year, a fifth domain — early childhood — was added, focusing specifically on data for the state’s youngest children, from birth to age 5. Early childhood well-being is a major priority for the Michigan League for Public Policy, our partners, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, whose PreK for All goal would provide all 4-year-olds with free preschool.

The goal of the Kids Count project is to offer a snapshot of broad trends across the state, enabling policymakers, parents, and organizations to use this data as a resource to develop and advocate for data-driven policies that create a brighter future for Michigan kids and their families. Data covers the entire state, its 83 counties, and the three largest cities: Detroit, Flint, and Grand Rapids.

From 2017 to 2022/23, Michigan saw improvements in 13 of 19 key areas.

Notable improvements include fewer families spending over 30% of their income on housing, with 81 of 83 counties seeing declines. Alcona, Alpena, and Presque Isle counties all experienced declines in the share of families burdened by high housing costs. Given that the data for this indicator is from 2022, it’s likely that the federal COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance program played a significant role in helping families manage housing costs across the United States.

This program was among several successful federal initiatives designed to support families during the pandemic. Despite clear evidence of its positive impact on keeping families housed, the funds have now been exhausted, leaving this critical support unavailable. Michigan should reinstate the program at the state level and ensure ongoing investment to mitigate housing insecurity within the state.

In education, many indicators for our youngest children worsened. Continuing a years-long trend, the share of students proficient in third-grade reading continues to fall steadily, with less than half of all third-graders in Michigan reading proficiently. Additionally, preschool enrollment for 3- and 4-year-olds declined in well over half of Michigan counties, including Montmorency and Presque Isle.

On a positive note, Michigan’s free preschool program for 4-year-olds was expanded in the 2025 budget. It will now cover families earning up to 400% of the Federal Poverty Level — relevant since 74% of children under 5 were below this threshold in 2022. Nearly half of 4-year-olds in the Alpena-Montmorency-Alcona ESD were enrolled in public preschool (either half or full days) in 2023, a number we hope to see grow in coming years as new funding makes the program more widely accessible.

In the Alpena region, we saw that nearly two out of every three young children had all parents in the labor force. With this in mind, we must ensure that families are able to find safe and affordable child care options for their young children while they are working. We know that only a small percentage of all children in Michigan are actually receiving the child care subsidies they are eligible for, so it is a win to see that in the upcoming budget, the Child Development and Care program keeps coverage at 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, increasing access to child care scholarships for working families and marking significant progress in early childhood care statewide. When children are better cared for and have access to early childhood programs like these, it ensures they develop the social skills, emotional development and confidence needed to guide them later in their education.

Every kid deserves a childhood where they can learn, develop, and thrive without facing obstacles to essential resources like education, healthcare, and economic stability. While there are still many areas of child well-being in Michigan that require significant improvement, the strong investments in our children over the past few years give us hope for reversing some of the negative trends we’ve seen in recent years.

As the impacts of the pandemic continue to recede, it remains crucial to enact strong policies that prioritize the welfare of children, as they are the cornerstone of Michigan’s future. We hope everyone feels encouraged to visit our new annual data profiles, interactive heat maps, and other advocacy resources to explore how children are faring in their area and continue to fight for beneficial policy solutions.

Kelli Bowers is Kids Count in Michigan data analyst at the Michigan League for Public Policy.