Editor's note: This story is part of Southwest Michigan's Second Wave's On the Ground Kalamazoo series.

KALAMAZOO, MI -- With a baby on the way, having some extra cash on hand could help create a sense of security in a sea of unknowns.

It could help a growing family or single mother meet the cost of dozens of things they haven't considered — as well as the medicine, diapers, baby food, clothes, and other supplies needed to care for an infant.

Working with other partners, the Kalamazoo Community Foundation is set to launch in February a local version of a program that is intended to help the families of newborns in the City of Kalamazoo. It is expected to help youngsters get a healthier, better start in life by providing their mothers with no-strings-attached allowances to eliminate a few of the financial hurdles they face during the first year of a baby's life. The foundation will administer Kalamazoo Rx Kids, a citywide, cash payment program for mothers and infants.

Called "A Prescription for Health, Hope, and Opportunity," Rx Kids will provide participants a one-time, lump-sum, prenatal allowance of $1,500 and an additional $500 per month for the first 12 months of a newborn's life. 

Courtesy of Michigan State University, Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health“Rx Kids is a way for us to rethink how we support our families and children,” says pediatrician and program director Dr. Mona Hanna.“The financial burdens on moms and families during the first year of a child’s life are immense,” says Dr. Mona Hanna, a pediatrician and director of Rx Kids and the Michigan State University-Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative. 

“Cash prescriptions from Rx Kids help fill immediate needs, like securing stable housing or transportation for health care utilization, (and) assistance with vital household expenses like food and utilities, to being able to think toward the future to ensure babies have the best start at life for health, hope, and opportunity."

Kalamazoo Rx Kids will work in partnership with the MSU-Hurley Pediatric Public Health Initiative, Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, and GiveDirectlyCity of Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo's program is the first expansion of a program started in Flint in January of 2024. That is the Flint Rx Kids program.

“We are inspired by the intentional design of Rx Kids and the values of love, trust, and dignity it is built upon,” says Alyssa Stewart, Chief Community Impact officer for the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. “Its universal approach acknowledges the simple truth that having a baby is expensive and that every growing family and every baby can benefit from extra support during pregnancy and the first year of life.”

While a child’s birth is a momentous event for most families, the Kalamazoo Community Foundation asserts that for many of those families, "income plunges and poverty spikes right before a child is born and remains high throughout the first year." 

According to the foundation, "These first months of life are critical for a baby’s development; it’s also when their families are struggling the most. Cash payments will help families make ends meet, enabling them to meet basic needs. 

Courtesy of Kalamazoo Community FoundationJameca Patrick-Singleton, executive director of Cradle Kalamazoo, speaks about the cash-payment program for families of newborns in August 2024 in Kalamazoo."By increasing economic stability, housing stability, food security and nutrition, and healthcare uptake, these payments can improve infant and maternal health and wellbeing, and even longer-term outcomes."

Jameca Patrick-Singleton, executive director of Cradle Kalamazoo and vice president of Community Health for YWCA Kalamazoo, says, "Rx Kids will serve as a powerful tool that we can put directly in the hands of Kalamazoo residents to reduce infant mortality rates and help our babies grow up."

Some things to know:

• A specific launch date for the program has not yet been announced.
• More than 800 children are born each year in Kalamazoo.
• There are no income requirements for the program.
• Participants must be residents of the City of Kalamazoo.
• Verification of pregnancy will be required by a healthcare provider.
• Expectant mothers may sign up for the program during pregnancy. 
• Mothers will also be able to sign up after giving birth until the infant reaches six months of age.
• Information about enrollment is available at https://rxkids.org/

Studies indicate that an increase in finances has positive impacts on such things as infant birth weight and a reduction in premature births. Data related to the 2021 Expanded Child Tax Credit, which helped millions of low-income families, indicated that those credits helped reduce families' financial hardships and had numerous benefits, including a reduction in food insecurity, an improvement of the health of children and their parents, and a reduction in the incidence of child abuse. A grant of $333 per month to low-income families resulted in a boost in infants' early education cognitive development, according to information provided by the foundation.

Courtesy of Kalamazoo Community FoundationDr. Mona Hanna, director of Rx Kids, talks about the cash-payment program for new mothers in August 2024 in Kalamazoo.Community leaders hope to operate Kalamazoo Rx Kids for at least five years. The first year has been fully funded as a result of the generosity of several organizations and an allocation of federal funding. The Kalamazoo Community Foundation made an inaugural pledge of $500,000 in May of 2024. That was followed by investments from United Way of South Central Michigan and the Bronson Health Foundation. A $1 million contribution is being made by Kalamazoo County. And a $5 million contriubution is being made by the Stryker Johnston Foundation. 

Stewart praises the contributions and says, “This generous investment from Stryker Johnston Foundation has brought the expansion of Rx Kids to Kalamazoo and we will continue to invite local funders and donors to join us in our commitment to making our community the most equitable place to grow a family."

The program, which is expected to have an annual funding goal of more than $5 million per year, also hopes to leverage about $1.4 million from the federally-funded and state-run TANF program (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families).

Mayor David Anderson says, "The City of Kalamazoo is enthusiastic about participating in this new community partnership that aligns with our commitment to the healthy growth, development, and learning of children, and the promotion of strong families," 

Hanna says, “Kalamazoo has a long history of prioritizing and understanding that healthy children are vital to a healthy community. Launching this program will have an immediate and tangible positive impact on every child born here.” 

Stewart, of the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, says she expects Rx Kids to become a powerful complement to Kalamazoo’s existing network of clinicians, home visitors, community health workers, and other social service organizations providing housing, food, and other basic needs to pregnant and parenting people in Kalamazoo.

But she says, “Philanthropic dollars are an essential part of the Rx Kids model, and we are so grateful for the organizations that have made early commitments to Rx Kids and the many more that will join us in the weeks and months to come. We are inviting everyone to join us in this movement."

Anyone interested in making a financial contribution to Rx Kids may visit kalfound.org/rx-kids-kalamazoo.