Michigan’s Children’s Matt Gillard sits down with Jeff Capizzano, President of the Policy Equity Group, to talk frankly about Governor Whitmer’s “PreK for All” plan now that expanding free 4-year-old preschool is moving closer to becoming reality with major state funding outlined in Whitmer’s proposed FY2025 budget recommendations. They discuss the plan’s “roadmap” for quickly expanding the state-funded preschool program at no cost to families, regardless of household income, while guarding against negatively impacting enrollment counts of private-pay, community-based child care providers.&nbs ..read more

To debrief Governor Whitmer’s 2024 State of the State address, Michigan’s Children’s Speaking for Kids Podcast Host Matt Gillard welcomes back two veteran Lansing lobbyists who have spent their careers working on children’s issues in Michigan. Specifically, they look at what she plans to champion on behalf of kids & families in the second year of her second term in office. Listen in and learn how you can raise your voice for the issues you care about. Returning guests are Andrea M. Cascarilla, Government Policy Advisor, Dykema; and Matt Kurta, Partner, Karoub Associates ..read more

In the December episode of Speaking for Kids, the Podcast, Michigan’s Children’s host Matt Gillard welcomes Gongwer News Service Managing Editor Alethia Kasben to talk about the accomplishments and shortcomings of the Michigan Legislature’s 2023 legislative year. Among big investments for kids and families were greater family tax relief through the expanded earned income tax credit, the adoption of free school meals, expanded free PreK for 4 year olds, and $50 million for afterschool programming. Also discussed were a few key issues that didn’t make it to the finish line, including paid family ..read more

Michigan’s Children President & CEO Matt Gillard welcomes state Rep. Jasper Martus to the Speaking for Kids podcast to discuss efforts to advance making paid family medical leave mandatory in Michigan. The Genesee County Democrat is a point person in the House on the issue and has introduced a measure calling for an actuarial cost study to keep the issue moving forward into the new Legislative year. Lawmakers are expected to finish the current session next week without action on the promising bill hailed by family advocates including Michigan’s Children and favored by Governor Gretchen Whi ..read more

As Advocates from the Michigan Kinship Care Coalition (MKCC) gathering for aLegislative Day in Lansing to address state lawmakers, host Matt Gillard talks totwo guests about the changes needed to assist more kinship parents in raisingchildren outside the formal foster care system. Joining him this month areStephanie Armendariz, senior policy analyst, Chapin Hall at the University ofChicago, and author of the new research brief, Diverting Children from Foster toKinship Care: The Issue and the Evidence; and, Deborah Frisbie, co-chair ofMKCC’s Policy & Advocacy Committee. The advocacy gro ..read more

Speaking for Kids podcast host Matt Gillard from Michigan’s Children talks with three top state advocates about the sizeable funding wins in the new FY24 state budget for afterschool programming, services for homeless and runaway youths, and adult education and literacy help. Listen in as Matt welcomes Patrick Brown, Executive Director of the Michigan Adult, Community and Alternative Education Association; Ben Moe, President, of Michigan Network for Youth and Families; and Erin Skene-Pratt, Executive Director, of Michigan Afterschool Partnership. Hear what these unprecedented and historic fund ..read more

Speaking for Kids podcast host Matt Gillard talks inside politics around the FY24 State Budget with two veteran Lansing lobbyists. As state budget negotiations begin winding down to a conclusion next month, Matt welcomes two Capitol insiders experienced in the fight for children’s issues to discuss what the new fiscal year’s budget holds for kids and families. What do the latest state revenue estimates mean for programs and services we care about most? And how can advocates follow through on these issues? Listen in as Matt welcomes Andrea Cascarilla from the Government Policy and Practice Grou ..read more

Speaking for Kids host Matt Gillard speaks with Sen. Rosemary Bayer about bills in the Michigan Legislature that she and other Democrats have sponsored to reform gun laws as the state deals with the aftermath of the mass shooting on campus at Michigan State University in February. They are joined by MSU Senior Dylan Gebhard, active in the Sit Down MSU and Students Demand Action movement in this podcast ..read more

Gun-related violence became the leading cause of child mortality in the United States – exceeding car accidents – just two years ago in 2020. Speaking for Kids podcast host Matt Gillard from Michigan’s Children welcomes gun reform activists Imani McKissic and Christopher Smith to the podcast to discuss Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s recent call for legislative action addressing gun violence during her State of the State address. McKissic, 19, now a college sophomore, lost her brother Michael McKissic II in an unsolved drive-by shooting in Lansing when she was 12. In his memory, her famil ..read more

Michigan’s Children’s Host Matt Gillard is joined on the Speaking for Kids podcast by three special guests to discuss glaring problems that came to light in the Wayne County youth detention system this fall. In a series of investigative reports by the Detroit Free Press, issues surfaced in the ways youths were detained before moving to their treatment plans - often for prolonged periods of time and in inhumane conditions – inside Wayne County’s Juvenile Detention Facility this past year. What does it say about the way we rehabilitate - or don’t rehabilitate - youth offenders, and the need for ..read more