Michigan continues to see an increase in cases of child abuse and neglect.
That's according to latest Kids Count in Michigan Data Book released Tuesday by the Michigan League for Public Policy.
Confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect in the state have gone up 29.5% since 2012.
Alicia Guevara Warren is with the MLPP. She says expanding home visiting programs could help reduce these cases.
“Home visiting programs improve school readiness, improve health outcomes, reduce or prevent child abuse and neglect, and increase economic security,” she said.
The report also finds the state's child poverty rate has dropped 20.6% since 2012.
But Guevara Warren says half-a-million kids in Michigan are still dealing with the negative effects of poverty.
“It has a real impact when we think about how it impacts development in our young children,” Guevara Warren said. “But also in thinking about in how their education and their health can also be impacted when they don't have the resources that they need.”
Guevara Warren says there are major racial and geographic disparities among the children impacted by these issues.
You can read the entire 2019 Kids Count in Michigan Report here.
