KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Flint Michigan has begun cash payments to new moms to get children off to a good start, and now the City of Kalamazoo is considering the idea.
The program is called Kids RX. It’s the first of its kind in the nation and is funded by the Charles Mott Foundation.
Women in Flint will get $1,500 mid-pregnancy and $500 a month for the first year, for a total of $7,500 dollars.
Officials there say it’s based on studies that show relieving the impacts of poverty on infants could have positive impacts that last a lifetime.
The Kalamazoo City Commission has made it one of their five priorities for next year’s budget, according to Assistant City Manager Rebekah Kik.
City officials say a great many details have yet to be worked out before Kalamazoo commissioners would see a proposal later this year.
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