To celebrate Mother’s Day and the launch of Rx Kids, the City of Pontiac is hosting its first-ever baby parade from 3-6 p.m. on May 9.
Enrollment in the program started on May 1. Rx Kids is the nation’s first no-strings-attached cash prescription program for pregnant people and babies. It provides Pontiac moms with $1,500 during pregnancy and an additional $500 per month throughout the baby’s first six months. Now in eight counties, the program launched in Flint in 2024, expanded to Kalamazoo and the Eastern Upper Peninsula earlier this year, and plans to expand to more Michigan communities throughout 2025.
The baby parade to celebrate the launch will be a first for Pontiac, but the concept is an historic one. In 1918, the United States government recognized ‘Children’s Year,’ an effort to “save 100,000 babies” by addressing issues that impact child welfare, including a lack of data on maternal and child health, the effects of poverty on health, lack of educational resources, and a lack of safe spaces for children to play.
Advocates for child and maternal health raised awareness of these issues across the country by hosting “baby parades,” which celebrated and showcased the lives and activities of healthy kids in their communities.
Now, a little over a century later, the City of Pontiac’s first-ever baby parade will celebrate those same concepts.
“We’re thrilled to see Rx Kids launching in Pontiac, bringing vital support directly to families with newborns,” said Dr. Mona Hanna, Associate Dean for Public Health in the College of Human Medicine and Director of the Michigan State University-Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative. “When we invest in the health and well-being of our youngest residents, our entire community benefits. Celebrating this moment with a Baby Parade is a beautiful way to honor the children and families at the heart of this work.”
Original baby parades featured many aspects of healthy childhood life, including sports and athletic activities, games, music, art, ice cream, and other aspects of play and happiness.
“Bringing back the tradition of baby parades from the Children’s Year of 1918 and 1919 is a powerful reminder that the challenges surrounding children’s health from over a century ago are still deeply relevant today,” said H. Luke Shaefer, co-director of Rx Kids and a professor at the University of Michigan. “With this baby parade, Pontiac becomes part of that historic legacy, celebrating Rx Kids—the first community-wide initiative in the country to provide families with infants direct cash support during this crucial stage of early development.”
The Pontiac version will feature a similar celebration of babies by including activities and demonstrations from youth-serving organizations across Pontiac and will include free scoops of Rx Kids Strawberry Sweetheart “mixed with love” ice cream from the MSU Dairy Store. Unique Catering in Pontiac will also provide free refreshments. Bounce houses, yard games, dancers and local entertainers, baby-related giveaways, a DJ with photo booth, and more are among the activities planned.
Prior to the parade, there will be a short program with remarks about Rx Kids from Dr. Mona and Rx Kids leadership and local officials who brought the program to Pontiac. Pontiac Mayor Tim Greimel will speak and also serve as the Grand Marshal of the parade.
“Launching Rx Kids here in Pontiac is a truly exciting milestone for our city,” Greimel said. “We’re proud to celebrate this groundbreaking program with our community through our very first baby parade this May—a joyful event that reflects our commitment to supporting families and giving every child a strong start.”
Rx Kids is a program of the Michigan State University Pediatric Public Health Initiative, in collaboration with Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, administered by GiveDirectly. Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency (OLHSA), based in Pontiac, is the local outreach and engagement champion for Rx Kids Pontiac. Rx Kids Pontiac is made possible through the generous support of the State of Michigan, the City of Pontiac, The Alix Foundation, Total Health Foundation of Priority Health, and the Pontiac Funders Collaborative, an initiative of the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan (CFSEM). Find other Rx Kids program funders.
Baby Parade Details
- What: Pontiac Rx Kids Baby Parade
- When: Friday, May 9, 3-6 p.m
- Where: Track at Wisner Stadium, 441 Cesar E Chavez Ave., Pontiac, MI 48342
- Details: Rx Kids will host a Mother’s Day Weekend Baby Parade to celebrate moms and babies and the historic launch of Rx Kids in Pontiac. The Rx Kids Baby Parade will include families and children, Pontiac community members, games, food, and performers from local youth organizations.
- Parking: Available in the stadium parking lot.