Rx Kids

Welcome! The Rx Kids program is reimagining how society supports families. For many families, income plunges, and poverty spikes right before a child is born and remains high throughout the first year. Built on the tremendous success of the expanded Child Tax Credit, which cut child poverty to its lowest level in recorded history, and in line with global evidence, Rx Kids boldly reimagines how we care for each other by walking alongside families during the challenging time of pregnancy and infancy. Learn more about the research behind the program, and the impact it is already having on families in Flint, MI: https://lnkd.in/gshnDtXn https://lnkd.in/gRJRuBvt #RxKids GiveDirectly University of Michigan - Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy University of Michigan Michigan State University Greater Flint Health Coalition City of Flint

Michigan is ranked 41st in poverty for women and 39th for children, according to a new 2024 Health of Women and Children Report by the United Health Foundation. Rx Kids is working to improve those outcomes. “[Rx Kids funds] help can negate some of those adverse childhood experiences, because that mom then has a little bit of a foundation,” said Leann Espinoza, public information officer at the Luce, Mackinac, Alger, Schoolcraft District Health Department (LMAS District Health Department) in the eastern Upper Peninsula. “A little bit of a cushion to say, ok, I can get through this time and we can move forward as a stable family.” https://lnkd.in/gxJ3uQTb

Learn more about the launch of Rx Kids in Kalamazoo at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research Community Breakfast on December 3. More details and link to register below. ??

With a $1,500 allowance at birth and $6000 during the first year, Rx Kids and its partners like the Children’s Foundation are reducing financial stress for Flint parents. This critical boost helps families provide safe, stable homes and essential care for their babies’ vital first year. Learn more about this life-changing program, here: https://ow.ly/X65W50U4mR9

We love learning about our Rx Kids moms ?? Hearing their story, and meeting their precious babies makes our day! Get to know some of our moms by reading their stories: https://lnkd.in/gAsX4i8f #RxKids #FlintRxKids #MeetOurMoms

After the 2021 expanded child tax credit, the child poverty rate fell to a historic low. However, when the program wasn't renewed, the child poverty rate went back up. Soon after, Dr. Mona and Luke Shaefer got together to create Rx Kids. The program’s goals go beyond cash aid for Michigan families: It is also aimed at getting donors, lawmakers, and voters excited about how child cash benefits could help their communities. Read on: https://lnkd.in/gf3kF2xb #ChildTaxCredit #RxKids MSU Master of Public Health University of Michigan Poverty Solutions

Thank you to the Children's Foundation for their support! Rx Kids and its partners are leading the way toward a future where every child has the opportunity to grow up healthy, supported, and ready to thrive.???

Expressions of love from funders continue to bring private dollars to support adorable babies! Rx Kids is a public-private partnership. While the program has state and federal government support, philanthropy — including national, regional and community foundations — has played a major role in the success of the program. “Dr. Mona told us that this project really isn’t about money; money is an expression of the love that the community wants to show these families,” said JooYeun Chang, Doris Duke Foundation's program director for child wellbeing. Hear from these foundations, and why they're championing Rx Kids: https://lnkd.in/gh6M3upw Mott Foundation W.K. Kellogg Foundation Ruth Mott Foundation RONDA E STRYKER & WILLIAM D JOHNSTON FOUNDATION Community Foundation of Greater Flint Kalamazoo Community Foundation Bezos Family Foundation Michigan Health Endowment Fund GiveDirectly #RxKids MSU Master of Public Health

Built on the evidence and success of the expanded child tax credit during the pandemic, Rx Kids was developed as a way to continue supporting moms and babies by giving them no-strings-attached cash prescriptions. Listen to Luke Shaefer and Dr. Mona discuss how the child tax credit greatly reduced child poverty during the pandemic, and how programs like Rx Kids are continuing the work of coming alongside families and supporting them: https://lnkd.in/gqnjrtpf #ChildTaxCredit #RxKids The Lancet Group MSU Master of Public Health University of Michigan - Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy University of Michigan Poverty Solutions GiveDirectly

The rapid and successful impact of Rx Kids since its launch earlier this year could soon be a national model for improving health equity and the future health of children around the country. “Providing monetary support to families with newborns is a direct acknowledgment of what we have known for a long time – that the financial burdens that occur of infancy are often the most expensive and challenging times for mothers, children, and families,” said Dr. Mona. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gxE7Vz5C #ChildTaxCredit #RxKids MSU Master of Public Health