The Michigan League for Public Policy says any effort to help families get out of poverty has to address both parents and children.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation released a study on Wednesday called Creating Opportunity for Families: A Two Generation Approach. It calls for addressing the needs of children and their parents simultaneously. The Michigan League for Public Policy issued its own suggestions for policy changes at the state level. Those include expanding Michigan 's Earned Income Tax Credit, financial aid for adults to attend public universities in Michigan and improving child care subsidies.
The director of the Kids Count in Michigan Project for the Michigan League for Public Policy Jane Zehnder-Merrell says over half a million young children in Michigan, about half in the state, live in families that are making under 200% of the poverty level. The percentage varies by region, about 48% of children in Kalamazoo County live in low-income families. Van Buren and Calhoun Counties are close to 60%.
Zehnder-Merrell says policies to help families get out of poverty should ensure that parents have access to child care and support for work. She says services often get offered in "silos," so that those related to children are separate from those related to employment. Zehnder-Merrell says they have to be viewed as part of one comprehensive strategy.
