The students who need in-person instruction the most are among the least likely to get it, new Michigan data shows.
Youth & Kids in Coronavirus
BridgeDetroit, with sponsoring funds from the Skillman Foundation, is providing special coverage of Detroit families, youth and kids during the coronavirus pandemic. Detroit is rallying together to protect the well-being of children, and rightly, the stories of these efforts are being told.
Posted inHealth and Welfare, Youth & Kids in Coronavirus
Extra food stamp benefits extended through November for Michigan families
Michigan families eligible for food stamps, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, will continue receiving additional benefits through November, state officials said last week.
Posted inEducation, Youth & Kids in Coronavirus
‘Everything we want our young men to be’: Detroit district mourns loss of student leader
Ga’heime Griffin died this week of injuries from a car accident. His death, at the age of 18, has hit hard in the Detroit Public Schools Community District, where Griffin was well known as not only a leader, but also as an athlete and a member of the ROTC.
Posted inJobs & Economic Development, Youth & Kids in Coronavirus
What does equity look like? Start with housing, income, Detroiters say.
Detroit Future City released a shared vision for an economically equitable Detroit on Tuesday. The nonprofit think tank is using the shared vision as a call to action to get local organizations and institutions to work with residents to increase access and opportunity.
Posted inCivic and Community Information, Youth & Kids in Coronavirus
Amid COVID, Detroit imagines a master plan for its public parks
Detroit parks, well used in the pandemic, are being reimagined as cold weather and wellness destinations, among other ideas. Some parks have been redesigned and outfitted with new landscaping. And stakeholders are considering new ways to stabilize and sustain investment in the city’s extensive park system.
Posted inEducation, Youth & Kids in Coronavirus
Detroit schools hustle to count thousands of students. Some students sit out.
Detroit Public Schools Community District and Superintendent Nikolai Vitti put out a call to action on Oct. 2 asking Detroiters to leave friendly phone messages and to knock on household doors of the thousands of students who have been disengaged since the first day of school. The campaign helped the district reach more than 3,000 students before the biannual Count Day.
Posted in2020 Election, Education, Youth & Kids in Coronavirus
Detroit students ask school board candidates: ‘What would you do to take action?’ amid the pandemic
Detroit School of Arts student Unique Pierce told a school board candidate just how tough it’s been to weather the stresses of virtual learning during this unusual school year.
Posted inHealth and Welfare, Youth & Kids in Coronavirus
Back to school puts financial strain on Michigan’s most vulnerable families
As the new school year ramps up and the economic downturn of the COVID-19 pandemic continues, parents are having to make tough financial decisions. Nonprofits and social service agencies say they see families struggling to purchase materials for school, access child care and put food on the table.
Posted inCivic and Community Information, Youth & Kids in Coronavirus
Why does Detroit Public Schools have its own police department?
Michigan’s largest school district, serving predominantly Black and Brown students, has its own police department. Under emergency management, the state beefed up policing by building a $5.6 million command center and adding military equipment to its arsenal. Now, Detroiters and school leadership take a new approach.
Posted inEducation, Youth & Kids in Coronavirus
Child care centers provided young students a safe place to learn online. Michigan said no.
The coronavirus child care crunch is falling hardest on low-income families of color, many of whom work in-person jobs in sanitation, grocery, and health care that the state has defined as “essential.” When these families have young students learning online, many parents find that they have no safe place to send their children during the work day.