By summer 2026, a cash aid program for moms and babies, designed with “no strings attached,” will have gone from operating in one city to more than 60 communities across Michigan, reaching an estimated 23,000 infants a year.
The rapid growth of the Rx Kids program, led by pediatrician Dr. Mona Hanna, happened in the span of about two years, spurred by $250 million in state funding, local contributions, private donors and demand. Rx Kids has so far raised about $70 million, outside of state funds, to operate the program over three birth years.
Rx Kids − pitched as a prescription to help alleviate financial burdens for families during an important part of an infant’s development − offers $1,500 in cash assistance mid-pregnancy and then monthly $500 payments for six or 12 months after birth, depending on the location.
Expectant mothers, mothers of newborns and guardians can apply at rxkids.org. They must live in one of the participating communities, be at least 16 weeks pregnant or the guardian of a child who is 6 months or younger, and born after the program kicked off in their community. Rx Kids focuses on areas with high need − measured by child poverty and maternal and infant health − but is open to moms regardless of income.
Mothers the Free Press spoke with who are part of the program say they used the cash on the basics from strollers to diapers, that they were able to be more present for their children, that it offered them time to prepare to go back to work and catch up on bills.
“Because I did have Rx Kids, I did take the time to rest after I gave birth to my son,” said Nyah Phillips, 24, of Inkster.
Amy Zaagman, executive director of the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health, calls that “breathing room.”
Zaagman, who sat on Rx Kids’ expansion committee, said that when families have the cash in hand to weather financial emergencies and pay for the basics, they can more easily access existing supports such as prenatal appointments or the federal Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program.
“Everyday we hear from moms who tell us they feel less stressed, they have more time to focus on their baby, they are more able to show up for prenatal care and well-child visits, and their lives are a little more stable,” said Hanna, Rx Kids director and associate dean of public health at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, in a statement to the Free Press.
What’s next for Rx Kids
Rx Kids is available in dozens of communities, from Detroit to the entire Upper Peninsula. This summer, the program is slated to reach 20 more in Wayne, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Jackson, Calhoun, Kent and Genesee counties. Hanna anticipates expanding Rx Kids beyond Michigan later this year
Meanwhile, study of the program is ongoing. Early research focused on Flint moms has shown a drastic drop in evictions and fewer preterm births and neonatal intensive care unit admissions. A March report from Rx Kids, based on survey responses, found that 74% of moms reported spending their payments on baby supplies, such as diapers and formula.
The Free Press spoke to four moms ahead of Mother’s Day about why they applied to Rx Kids. Here’s what they had to say:
Taking the time to rest, recover
Phillips found out she was pregnant last year after she learned she wouldn’t get a job as an afterschool program coordinator that she was offered and had accepted. She moved to Lansing for the job but after orientation, she was told she was no longer a good fit, she said.
In the months afterward, Phillips worked part-time as a substitute teacher while trying to find a full-time role and had to use her savings and credit cards to pay for rent. She worked gigs, such as DoorDash and Instacart, to pay for groceries and went to food banks.
“I did everything I was supposed to do. I went to college. I got the degree. I don’t even have that much in loans. I made good financial decisions. I had a very good credit score. I budgeted. I cook at home and I still can’t afford stuff … I still couldn’t afford it when I was pregnant, because life still happens,” said Phillips, a first-time mom.
So, when she applied to Rx Kids in November after returning home to Inkster and received the $1,500 lump sum, she used most of the money on bills. She uses the $500 a month on her car insurance and payment, paying off credit cards and putting money aside for student loans. It helped her pay for her son’s birth certificate after leaving the hospital, and baby clothes.
The payments gave her time to rest and recover from complications during labor.
Family support, community resources and Rx Kids payments are keeping her afloat these days, as she considers her future. Phillips, who graduated from college in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree, is looking for a job with upward mobility that’s flexible while her son is young.
She’s not worried about the program ending for her next month. She’s grateful for the opportunity, she said. The program was not something she ever anticipated, and she knew it wasn’t forever.
“I’m content. My son has everything that he needs,” she said.
‘This has been most consistent’
Mercedesz Brown, a mom of two-month-old twin girls, has been on unpaid leave from her job as a flight attendant since July. The 34-year-old Detroiter applied for Rx Kids earlier this year and gets a total of $1,000 a month for both babies, who she said rapidly go through diapers. She also received the $1,500 one-time payment.
“I had no clue how I was going to make ends meet,” she said.
The program came at a time when Brown felt like she had no one aside from her grandmother supporting her during her pregnancy.
“If everything else in my life was shaky and unreliable, this has been the most consistent. This has been the most reliable,” she said. It’s relieved some stress as she tries to figure out her next steps while on leave, like how she’s going to pay for child care.
The program is helping Brown pay for rent and food. She bought strollers − which are crucial because she doesn’t have a car. She walks to get around and uses the City of Detroit’s Rides to Care program to get to medical appointments. Brown said she feels as though she’s “just making it,” and for that, she’s grateful. If not for Rx Kids, she would have had to go back to work sooner.
“I only have enough just for me and the girls right now, and that is what I’m grateful for every day,” she said.
Getting back on her feet
Rakiah Reives’ son Jakai was born on New Year’s Day.
But by then, it had been months since Reives worked full-time. The 33-year-old Detroiter and mom of six had to quit her job as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) because of her high-risk pregnancy and had only a short stint as a home health care worker, while her husband worked as a cook.
Reives’ utilities had been shut off. There were days when her kids couldn’t go on field trips because the bills were more important. Her car broke down and she couldn’t afford the repairs.
Rx Kids “came in and saved the day,” she said.
She used the first $500 to put gas in her husband’s car, catch up on a couple of bills and groceries. She’s used the money to get on a payment plan to keep utilities on, pay phone bills, and buy diapers and wipes. It didn’t get her totally out of debt, but it helped her chip away at it. The program filled in for her while she was out of work.
“The payments only go until the baby is six months, so that gives a mother enough time to get on her feet before it stops,” said Reives, who now works full-time as a certified nursing assistant.
She’s on payment plans for utilities and water and is saving for another car.
“It honestly prepares you to get back on your own. Even though I’ve been getting it the last couple months, again, I did know that soon my time would be coming to an end, and it was like, ‘What are you gonna do when this $500 is gone? Are you gonna sit around and be in the same situation that you were in before the money came or are you gonna take it, invest, save it, and then start somewhere fresh on your own … to make sure you don’t hit these bumps and curves again.”
Being more present for her children and herself
Desarae Embry, a mom of three, doula and balloon artist, said Rx Kids helped her “think more clearly.” The 24-year-old Detroiter applied for the program last fall when she was living in Inkster and figured it could help in case of unexpected costs.
She knows what that is like.
Her first child was born with a rare condition, was hospitalized for more than a month and a half, had to have surgery and relearn how to eat. Embry said she became “nurse mommy.” They bought food nearly every day and needed to spend money on making themselves comfortable. Then, her second child was born when Embry and her husband had been going through a rough financial patch.
“Rx Kids came at a time where I started to value mental health more. My mental health started to take a turn for the better because we are doing better financially. … I’ve been able to pour into myself more,” Embry said.
She received $1,500 in November, which she used to buy a bassinet and diapers, and got her last monthly $500 payment on May 1. She’s been able to bond with her five-month-old son, she said, by going to mommy and me classes and ensuring he has “more than enough.”
As Mother’s Day approached, she said she felt “very joyful.”
“I’m in a much different mental space than I was with my previous children,” she said. “And this could come with just growing as an adult, growing as a mom because this isn’t my first baby, but I just see life from a different lens. I feel different. I’m able to be more present with my children.”
