Across Michigan, a growing number of communities are redefining when education begins and what it means to support a child’s development from the start.

Rx Kids, the country’s first universal and unconditional cash prescription program for pregnant people and infants, provides financial support to every eligible family within a geographic area, no income requirements, no strings attached. Families receive a one-time $1,500 payment during pregnancy and $500 per month during the baby’s first year of life.

Dr. Mona Hanna-AttishaFirst launched in Flint in 2023, the program has expanded to Kalamazoo, Pontiac, and Michigan’s Eastern Upper Peninsula. With bipartisan support and data showing early impact, advocates say Rx Kids isn’t just a public health intervention. It's an early education intervention.

“We’ve long known that the conditions children are born into shape everything that comes after,” says Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, pediatrician and Rx Kids co-director. “But we’ve never built policy around that truth — until now. If we want to close opportunity gaps, we have to start before preschool. Children in stable homes, with less stress and more caregiver interaction, are better prepared for school. This is how we build the foundation for lifelong learning.”

From pregnancy to preschool

Decades of research confirm what Rx Kids was designed around: A child’s development begins in the womb. According to the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP), 85% of brain development occurs before age five. The stressors that parents may face during pregnancy — housing insecurity, lack of access to health care, income instability — can directly disrupt that development.

Rx Kids aims to change those conditions.

Rx Kids has provided for the Wright family stability during an unpredictable time.

In Michigan’s Eastern Upper Peninsula, the program currently offers six months of support due to limited local philanthropic funding. But results remain impressive.

“We’re already seeing the ripple effects,” says Karen Senkus, health officer at Chippewa County Health Department. “Parents are using the money for car repairs, rent, prenatal appointments. One family was able to pay ahead on bills so mom could stay home longer with the baby. That reduces stress and translates into more bonding, more time reading, more responsive caregiving.”

According to Rx Kids’ published impact data:

• Over 1,800 babies have been enrolled statewide.
• More than $6.6 million has been distributed.
• Participating families in Flint reported zero evictions.
• Preterm birth rates, maternal smoking in the third trimester, and postpartum depression have all declined.
• Prenatal care attendance, birth weights, and parental engagement have increased.

These improvements aren’t just health-related. Research from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child confirms that early adversity—including caregiver stress—affects the development of executive function, memory, and language: all foundational skills for school readiness.

“Mothers, especially new mothers, face so much stress. Financial strain can be overwhelming … If we can remove even one of those stressors, we’re giving families a better chance.” Kinea Wright

Dignity, autonomy, and stability

In Kalamazoo, Rx Kids is redefining what it means to support new parents, offering not only financial assistance but also the power of trust and autonomy.
With the help of strong philanthropic investment from local funders like the Stryker Johnston Foundation, the City of Kalamazoo, and Kalamazoo Community Foundation, the program is fully funded to support families through the entire first year of their child’s life.

“So much of what impacts a child’s readiness for school happens before preschool, before birth even,” Hanna-Attisha says. “Toxic stress, housing insecurity, food access — it all shows up in the body and the brain.” 

“The first year of life is a critical period for brain development,” says Alyssa Stewart, chief community impact officer at the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. “A child’s first teacher is their caregiver. This support allows parents to be more present, more engaged, and more equipped to support their child’s growth.”

As of mid-June, Stewart shared that 441 families in Kalamazoo are currently enrolled in the program, with more than $928,000 in direct payments having been distributed. 
“There are no income tests, no bureaucratic hoops,” Stewart added. “Families apply in 15 minutes. The money is there when they need it.”

This ease of access is by design. Rx Kids operates on the principle that every family welcoming a new baby — regardless of income or background — deserves support. Its universal structure not only simplifies enrollment but also removes the stigma that often comes with means-tested programs.

Jameca Patrick-Singleton“Parents don’t have to prove hardship,” says Jameca Patrick-Singleton, executive director of Cradle Kalamazoo. “They can access this with dignity and make decisions based on what their child needs.”

And those decisions are wide-ranging. One mother used the stipend to purchase her child shoes during a growth spurt and enroll them in a sports program. Another used the funds to start a life insurance policy for long-term security. In Flint, a relative of Patrick-Singleton’s was able to complete cosmetology school while receiving Rx Kids support, setting her on a career path that benefits both her and her children.
“These aren’t just financial outcomes,” Patrick-Singleton says. “These are life-changing outcomes that shape how parents show up for their children emotionally, mentally, and financially.”

By putting unconditional cash in parents’ hands, Rx Kids honors their expertise, reduces their stress, and gives them room to parent with confidence. In doing so, it lays the foundation for the kind of nurturing, stimulating environments that support cognitive development and future learning.

“Rx Kids is proof that if we invest in families early, we don’t have to play catch-up later.” Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha
Michigan’s bold investment in the future

Rx Kids is designed not just as a local intervention, but as a replicable model for communities across the country. Administered in partnership with the nonprofit GiveDirectly — an organization known for delivering direct cash transfers — the program streamlines implementation and minimizes administrative burden at the local level. This “plug-and-play” design allows new communities to launch quickly once funding is secured.

“We worked out the kinks in Flint,” says Hanna-Attisha. “When dollars are at the table, Rx Kids is ready to go live anywhere.”

In June, the Michigan Senate included $78 million in its 2025 budget proposal to support a dramatic statewide expansion of Rx Kids. It’s a sign that Michigan lawmakers increasingly view early childhood investment as essential to the state’s educational and economic future, not just as a social service.

Advocates say this represents a paradigm shift: a move away from reactive programs designed to mitigate harm and toward proactive investment in a child’s earliest experiences.

“We’re showing what it looks like to take care of families from the very beginning,” says Stewart. “This isn’t just a health initiative. It’s a redefinition of education.”

That redefinition is being felt on the ground. In communities like Flint, Kalamazoo, and the Eastern Upper Peninsula, Rx Kids is seen as infrastructure — a way to stabilize families, reduce disparities, and nurture the earliest roots of school readiness.

“It’s not about handouts,” says Karen Senkus, health officer at Chippewa County Health Department. “It’s about building the kind of community where every child has the chance to thrive from day one.”

As other states explore how to improve outcomes and address educational equity, Michigan may be offering the most transformative blueprint: invest early, trust parents, and recognize that nurturing families from pregnancy onward will yield a return on investment.

“We’re not just building a program, we’re building a movement,” Hanna-Attisha says. “Rx Kids is proof that if we invest in families early, we don’t have to play catch-up later.”

Dr. Brianna Nargiso, a graduate of Howard University and Mercer University, specializes in media, journalism, and public health. Her work has appeared in The Root, 101 Magazine, and Howard University News Service, covering profiles, politics, and breaking news. A Hearst journalism award nominee and active member of the National Association for Black Journalists, she has also worked with Teach for America and the Peace Corps. A doctoral graduate of American University, Brianna is dedicated to advancing social justice, public health and education on a global scale.

Photos by Leslie Cieplechowicz
Photos of Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, Jameca Patrick-Singleton, and Alyssa Stewart courtesy subjects.

Early Education Matters shares how Michigan parents, child care providers, and early childhood educators are working together to are working together to create more early education opportunities for all little Michiganders. It is made possible with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.