children
FDA green lights Pfizer vaccine for kids 12-15, with CDC still to act
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday signed off on expanding the use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to children ages 12 to 15, clearing one key hurdle before that age group can begin receiving the two-shot vaccine. But another step is needed before tweens and teens can line up for shots. The […]
Families say athletic bans would exact a toll on rural transgender youth
Katy Binstead’s 13-year-old transgender daughter, Emily Wilson, enjoyed playing basketball recreationally this past summer. When school reopened, she decided to try out for the girls basketball team at her middle school on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The school denied Emily the chance, her mother recalled, telling her to try out for the boys team instead, […]
‘It’s going to be a lifesaver’: Here’s how the new child tax credit expansion works
When U.S. President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan into law last week, setting up millions of families across the country to receive regular monthly payments as part of the child tax credit expansion, Anthony Queen breathed a sigh of relief. Help, the father of an 8-year-old son thought, is on the […]
810K children attending school virtually will start receiving food assistance
Around 810,000 Michigan children and their families have now begun to receive automatic food assistance from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the state announced this week. The $741.6 million total in assistance benefits is aimed toward Michigan families that normally rely on free or reduced-price lunches at school to help feed […]
Column: Here’s what lawmakers have done — and must keep doing — to help people amid the pandemic
On March 13, 2020, almost one year ago today, I wrote a column for the Michigan Advance outlining some public policy solutions to reduce COVID-19’s impact on workers and families with lower incomes. A year later, I thought I’d take a look at how well policymakers have responded to the pandemic-related needs of Michigan families. […]
Column: I’m a teacher. Why am I considered expendable?
In the timeless movie “Almost Famous,” main character William Miller loses his temper. “Who am I to you?” he shouts. “WHO AM I TO YOU?” He is yelling at a groupie – er, Band-Aid – with whom he had just spent the night, who was now tossing him her laundry on his way out the […]
Gilda Z. Jacobs: Want Michigan to become a stronger state? It’s time to ‘Think Babies.’
As an advocate, a former lawmaker, a mom and a grandma, I don’t need research to tell me that what happens in a child’s first three years is critical to the rest of their life. But if I did require research, there’s plenty of it. Brain growth for infants and toddlers is faster in […]
Senator says she knows taking 12 weeks of maternity leave could hurt her politically
First-term state Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) took to Twitter Friday to talk about her first few weeks of parenthood, stresses on families during the pandemic and her decision to take a full 12 weeks of maternity leave. Happy Friday and happy 3 weeks with this little burrito. It's been exhausting, eye-opening, wonderful, and the […]
Column: Teach your children well
This column is inspired by a 1970 song by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young for parents to “teach your children well.” I’ve been thinking about that song often as I’ve wondered how my relatives who were stuck at home during World War II dealt with restrictions similar to what we’re encountering with COVID-19. They tried […]
A new baby and a 9-month furlough with no end in sight: How COVID is straining Mich. families
When Rachael Guzzardo was furloughed from her job as a physical therapist for a large health system in metro Detroit in May, the mother of two, including a son born on Feb. 29, applied for unemployment. When she was told she could receive the benefits for up to 26 weeks, Guzzardo told her husband, “There’s […]
Former DHS official: Plot against Whitmer was ‘reminiscent’ of ISIS
Miles Taylor is one of several former President Trump administration senior officials who has now endorsed Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Taylor served as chief of staff to former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and acting Secretary Chad Wolf from 2017 to 2019. Taylor joins Olivia Troye, a former coronavirus adviser to Vice […]
‘An assistant teacher, lunch lady, janitor and IT person’: Parents juggle, struggle amid COVID-19 crisis
Being a parent of young children can be a challenge under normal circumstances. The COVID-19 pandemic has naturally made that much tougher for many families. Theresa Mitchell is a mother of two young Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) students who are being educated online. Mitchell preferred for them to learn in-person, but there were […]