Speaking for Kids, the podcast from Michigan’s Children

by Michigan's Children

Each month, Speaking for Kids the podcast will bring you a variety of crucial conversations with people making public policy – and the voices of the people impacted by those decisions in Michigan. Our goal will be to help you strengthen your voice to speak up for the changes we need to improve Michigan’s kids' & families' lives. In this and future podcasts, we’ll explore encouraging champions like you to get involved in the iss ...   ...  Read more
Government
Politics
Social Sciences
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Podcast episodes

  • Season 1

  • Kiss the Babies, Raising the Awareness of Gun Violence

    Kiss the Babies, Raising the Awareness of Gun Violence

    S01 E29
    20:13

    On the latest episode of the Speaking for Kids podcast, host Matt Gillard interviews Dennis Niemiec, the Executive Producer of the documentary "Kiss the Babies," and India Williams, an advocate against gun violence and the inspiration behind the film. Gun violence has become the leading cause of death for children in the U.S., often only gaining attention after mass shootings. "Kiss the Babies" aims to highlight the everyday impact of gun violence on youth. India, a victim of gun violence, shares how her life was forever changed by a stray bullet. Tune in as Dennis and India call for increased awareness around this critical issue. Watch the 2x Emmy award-winning documentary here, https://youtu.be/QFgummOxb9g?si=Q5csd-8TwayNVQyc to delve deeper into the conversation.

  • Exchange for Change: What Happens when Police & Youth Come Together to Try to Bridge the Gap

    Exchange for Change: What Happens when Police & Youth Come Together to Try to Bridge the Gap

    S01 E28
    35:03

    Speaking for Kids host Matt Gillard, president and CEO of Michigan’s Children, welcomes participants from Peckham - Flint’s recent “Exchange for Change” program, the multi-week roundtable between law enforcement officers and court-involved youths. Over four weeks, seven officers from the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department and Flint Police sat down with seven youths enrolled in Peckham’s Youth Services Program with the goal to find ways to “bridge the gap” between the community and police. They explored difficult topics including trauma, implicit bias, policing practices, and individual rights, and discovered a shared desire to improve their home community. In this podcast, Matt talks with the guests about the impact the Flint Water Crisis had on youth behavior and the distrust of authority that emerge from that environmental disaster. The Flint cohort is the third in a series of dialogues that started with meetings between local law enforcement and youth enrolled in Peckham’s Lansing program since the program launched in November 2021. A fourth session is planned in the fall. The program is a collaboration between Peckham and Michigan’s Children. Listen to it today.

  • Why this School Leader Embraces Community-Based Child Care Providers in Pre-K for All

    Why this School Leader Embraces Community-Based Child Care Providers in Pre-K for All

    S01 E27
    23:23

    Michigan's Children Speaking for Kids podcast host Matt Gillard welcomes Schools Superintendent John M. Searles, head of the Midland County Educational Service Agency, to discuss the expansion of Pre-K for All. In a wide-ranging conversation, they discuss the expansion in light of a contentious House budget plan that would negatively impact funding to community-based child care providers in favor of those operated by intermediate school districts. Listen in to this timely conversation around the Governor's plans for universal Pre-K.

  • The New Movement for Equity in School Funding

    The New Movement for Equity in School Funding

    S01 E26
    22:18

    Join Matt Gillard, President and CEO of Michigan's Children, as he engages in a candid conversation with Jeff Cobb, Director of Government Affairs at Education Trust-Midwest, on the pressing need for equity in education funding. Delving into the Opportunity Index—a proposed funding formula inspired by successful models like Massachusetts—the discussion highlights the importance of prioritizing resources for districts serving low socioeconomic backgrounds and minority students.Gillard and Cobb advocate for increased investment in education, stressing the long-term benefits and cost savings associated with improving educational outcomes. They draw parallels between Michigan and Massachusetts' academic success, emphasizing the need for strategic investments to narrow the gap. Despite recent progress, they call for continued efforts to fully fund the Opportunity Index and double funding for English learners, setting Michigan on a path toward greater opportunity and prosperity for all.

  • Making ‘PreK for All’ Work for All

    Making ‘PreK for All’ Work for All

    S01 E25
    22:26

    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.  Capizzano, whose Washington, D.C. firm was hired by the Governor's office to work on an implementation strategy, said the final recommendations represent a comprehensive strategy to better compensate early childhood educators, support the varied needs of families, and maintain viable privately owned child care businesses. He warned against “cherry picking” certain recommendations over others.