We are coming to the end of another summer, and thanks to your sacrifices and diligence in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been able to get our state as closely back to normal as possible. If you are receiving this, it is likely that the end of this summer marks another return to normal to prepare for — your children going back to in-person learning at school. (If this is not the case, don’t worry! There is other information in this mailer that will interest you).
While we have nearly reached normalcy in Michigan, it is still important to stay vigilant and, if you haven’t been vaccinated yet, it is not too late for residents 12 and up to get vaccinated.
This year, the Legislature made a historic investment in K-12 schools with the 2022 education budget. You can read more about this, along with information that will help you find access to affordable early education programs for your pre-K aged children, in this newsletter. And finally, this newsletter includes
a brief legislative update and resources that I believe will be helpful for the upcoming school year.
Of course, I may not be able to address all your questions or concerns in this mail piece. If this is the case, please do not hesitate to contact my office and we will be happy to help address your specific situation. You can email us
at SenEGeiss@senate.michigan.gov or call at (517) 373-8006 (office) or (855) 347-8006 (toll-free).
Best of luck to all students, parents, faculty, and staff — our entire learning communities — as you move back to in-person learning!
Cheers,
Erika Geiss
State Senator
District 6
Webpage: SenatorGeiss.com
Click link to review PDF version
HELPFUL HOTLINES
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
MI Department of Health & Human Services
Adult Home Help/Chore Services …………………………………………………..(800) 979-4662
Bridge Card (EBT) – Customer Service……………………………………………(888) 678-8914
Centralized Intake – 24-hour Hotline – for abuse/neglect complaints ….(855) 444-3911
Home Help Provider Support Services ……………………………………………(800) 979-4662 MIChild……………………………………………………………………………………..(888) 988-6300
MIHealth Card ……………………………………………………………………………(888) 367-6557
Rehabilitation Services………………………………………………………………..(800) 605-6722
Protection & Advocacy Services – Disability Ombudsman ………………….(800) 288-5923
Women, Infants & Children (WIC) ………………………………………………….(800) 225-5942
HEALTH INSURANCE
Attorney General – Health Care Fraud Division – 24-hour Hotline…………..(800) 242-2873
Medicaid Provider Help…………………………………………………………………..(800) 292-2550
Medicare (including Part D)……………………………………………………………..(800) 633-4227
MI Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs –
for health facility complaints……………………………………………………………(800) 882-6006
MI Enrolls – Medicaid Managed Care and MI Rx –
Drug Discount Program…………………………………………………………………..(888) 367-6557
MI Medicaid Customer Help – Beneficiary Hotline ………………………………(800) 642-3195
TAXES AND TRANSPORTATION
MI Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs –
Public Service Commission……………………………………………………………..(800) 292-9555
MI Department of Treasury – State Income Tax Hotline…………………………(517) 636-4486
MI Driver Responsibility Program –
Michigan Accounts Receivable Collection System ……………………………….(800) 950-6227
OTHER RESOURCES
Administration on Aging – Eldercare Locator………………………………………(800) 677-1116
Michigan United Way Help Line …………………………………………………………………….. 2-1-1
National Domestic Violence – 24-hour Confidential Hotline …………………..(800) 799-7233
Social Security Administration………………………………………………………….(800) 772-1213
The Heat & Warmth Fund (THAW)……………………………………………………..(800) 866-8429
Family Resources
Healthy Michigan Michigan.gov/HealthyMichigan
Did you know that healthy eating can help pave the way to academic success? Start the school year off right by planning fun, nutritious meals and snacks full of calcium, iron, and vitamin C. You can find calcium in milk, yogurt, and leafy green vegetables. Dried fruits, chicken, and beans are great sources of iron, and oranges, broccoli, and strawberries are chock full of vitamin C.
Women, Infants and Children
Wayne County Health Department WIC Office (734) 727-7106 or (888) 350-0900, ext. 81272 Administered by the Michigan Department of Health
& Human Services, the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is a health and nutrition program that serves low- and moderate-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are found to be at nutritional risk.
STOPPING FOR SCHOOL BUSES
Soon, we’ll be sharing the road with school buses again. Note: yellow lights on school buses activate when preparing to stop. Red lights and the stop arm are activated when the bus is stopped and accepting or discharging passengers. Here’s a reminder graphic on what to do when a school bus stops on different road types.
MICHIGAN COVID-19 VACCINE FOR STUDENTS
As COVID-19 cases have fallen greatly in our state and throughout the country, the percentage of active cases that are afflicting our children has increased. It is more important than ever that we do our part to protect our children, their classmates, and school staff. We must ensure that schools in our community do not become hotspots for the virus to spread. I encourage you to have your middle and high school aged children get the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, if you can do so.
As we transition back to in-person instruction, everyone must do their part to keep all students, teachers, and school employees safe and healthy. The vaccine has been proven to be the most efficient and effective way of doing that. If your child has not yet been vaccinated, you can find information about how to get that done by visiting Michigan.gov/Coronavirus or by texting your ZIP code to GETVAX (438829) or, for Spanish, to VACCINA (822862). If you have any medical questions, always consult your child’s pediatrician or your primary health care provider.
For those wondering, the COVID-19 vaccine currently falls under the normal guidelines for vaccination requirements in public schools. This means that, in the case of individuals who might seek waivers for other vaccinations (whether for personal or religious beliefs) should be able to seek one for this as well. Stay tuned to your local school district or charter school requirements for masking. You can visit Michigan.gov/MDHHS for more information. The Delta variant of this virus
is becoming a growing concern throughout the country, so as we send students, teachers, and school employees back to centralized locations that could become hotspots for spreading the virus, please make your personal choices with the health and safety of our community in mind.
BUILDING THE K-12 BUDGET: Michigan’s Largest Education Investment
On June 30th, I was delighted to join my colleagues in voting for a historic investment in our children with the 2021-2022 School Aid Fund budget. Among other things, this $17.1 billion budget will eliminate the per-pupil funding gap between districts — designating $723 million to ensure that every school receives a baseline of $8,700 per pupil. In addition to this investment in school-aged children, we are also expanding access to pre-K education through the Great Start Readiness Program. This program provides pre-K services to families at or below 250% of the poverty line. With this budget, roughly 22,000 more children will be able to access these services. There is more information on how to find Great Start programs in your area in the “Getting the Right Start” section of this letter.
Among the many things that we have learned throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we all have become more aware of the importance of mental health. Access to mental health professionals and programming is crucial for our students to achieve their
fullest potential in the classroom, as well as to develop the proper tools for dealing with personal issues throughout their lives. So, I am incredibly proud that we were able to secure $240 million for hiring counselors, psychologists, nurses, and social workers, and another $17 million for school-based mental health programming.
There are more accomplishments in this monumental School Aid Fund budget than I could possibly list here, so if you would like to read more about it, please visit senate.michigan.gov/sfa.
SENATE BILL 568
Creating a path to becoming a teacher for paraprofessionals
Our state has unfortunately been experiencing a teacher shortage for a few years now. This problem can be attributed to several factors, including the high-cost of education requirements for teachers paired with the low wages that they receive, out-of-pocket costs for classroom materials, and the difficult conditions faced by teachers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers are retiring faster than they can be replaced, and we need to do something sooner rather than later.
On June 24th, Senator Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia) and I introduced a two-bill package to establish different tracks that paraprofessionals may utilize to become teachers. If passed, my bill (SB 568) would establish a fund for a financial aid program that could
be accessed by K-12 paraprofessionals who wish to return to school to get a college degree in a teaching related field. Because these paraprofessionals already work closely with our schools and students, they are highly knowledgeable about student needs and the learning communities in which they work. Encouraging paraprofessionals to get their teaching credentials, via this financial aid fund, has strong potential for addressing the present teacher shortage and does so in the most efficient way possible.
Learn more and read our bills online at legislature.mi.gov by entering 568 and 567 in the appropriate field on the “Bills” search page. You can also help urge a committee hearing by contacting the chair of the appropriations committee to which they were referred.
Getting the Right Start
Countless studies show that children who attend high-quality, center-based childcare, pre-kindergarten, or preschool programs tend to have better pre-academic and language skills, perform better in math and reading in the early grades of elementary school, and have improved outcomes among children in families with low education or low incomes.
Early On® Wayne
Early On® Wayne is a program available to any Wayne County family with a child who is a newborn or as old as age 3 who has a developmental delay or an established medical condition. For free information and resources about your child’s development, call (734) 727-7094 or toll-free at (800) 327-5966 for Early On® Michigan.
Great Start
Michigan’s Great Start Readiness Preschool Program (GSRP) provides state-funded preschool at no cost to the students’ families. The GSRP program currently provides preschool to Michigan’s 4-year-olds with factors that may place them at risk of educational failure.
To find out more about GSRP in Wayne County: Phone: (734) 225-6616
Email: harland@resa.net
Website: resa.net
You can also visit GreatStart.org for information about additional resources available and to learn more about free programs and events for children in our area.
Help Me Grow Wayne
Help Me Grow Wayne exists to help parents and guardians connect with early childhood services offered in Wayne County, including connections to resources, developmental screenings, answers to questions, early childhood programming, and parenting support. Call (313) 410-4588 to learn more.