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2007 Policy Priorities for Michigan

After School Programs:

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Michigan urges the state Legislature to do the following regarding after-school programs:

1. Keep funding in the Human Services Budget at $5 million, and add $15 million total through interagency efforts in the School Aid Budget, Community Health Budget, and the Department of Labor and Economic Growth Budget.

2. Regarding After-School Partnership: Keep funding at $25,000 in each of the School Aid and Human Services budgets; add language in the Community Health Budget, Department of History, Arts and Libraries Budget, and Department of Labor and Economic Growth Budget with $25,000 in each.

Joint Resolutons:

State lawmakers should pass joint resolutions to do the following:

1. Reauthorize and substantially increase funding for 21st Century Community Learning Centers.

2. Reauthorize Head Start with a federal increase of $910 million.

3. Approve significant increases in discretionary funding and double the percentage of Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) fund set aside for quality improvement from 4 percent to 8 percent.

4. Pass the Education Begins at Home Act, authorizing $500 million over the next three years for in-home parent coaching programs.

5. Pass the Second Chance Act to create comprehensive research-based re-entry programs for juvenile and adult offenders.

6. Reauthorize and increase funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

7. Advance legislation to address bullying in schools.

School Readiness Programs:

State lawmakers should:

1. Approve a $14 million increase to provide approximately 5,000 additional eligible at-risk 4-year-olds access to state-funded preschool programs.

2. Increase the per slot fee from $3,300 to $4,000.

Child Day Care:

State lawmakers should:

1. Increase eligibility from 150 percent of federal poverty level to 185 percent of federal poverty level.

2. Increase the subsidy to recipients by up to 25 percent.

Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention:

State lawmakers should:

1. Increase funding in three budget areas to $10 million total. The current total is $6.27 million in the School Aid Budget, Community Health Budget, and the Human Services Budget.

2. Codify the Children's Trust Fund 0-3 Secondary Prevention Program into state law.

Nurse-Family Partnership:

State lawmakers should:

1. Increase state funding to provide for ten pilot programs. There are currently only five Nurse-Family Partnership programs in the state.

Get Troubled Kids on Track:

State lawmakers should:

1. Improve zero tolerance policies that have tended to displace kids rather than educate them.

2. Promote improved foster care and adoption policies with Michigan Federation for Children and Families.