Rx Kids launches for eligible Pontiac families on May 1.
Families living in the City of Pontiac can begin applying for Rx Kids starting May 1, 2025, at 9 a.m. Eligible pregnant people and families with newborns can apply to receive $1,500 during pregnancy and $500 per month for the first six months after birth. A prescription for health, hope, and opportunity — Rx Kids is the nation’s first community-wide, universal, and unconditional maternal and infant cash prescription program.
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 is an investment in Pontiac’s families, and in the future of every child born here,” said Dr. Susan Harding, OLHSA CEO. “We are proud to help deliver the resources families need at the very moment they need them most, ensuring that every Pontiac baby has the opportunity to grow up healthy, strong, and full of promise”.
In an effort to support families during the economic shock of pregnancy and infancy and to improve health, Rx Kids started in Flint in January 2024 and, thanks to the support of the State of Michigan and many others, has quickly spread to other Michigan communities, with Pontiac being the first in southeast Michigan. With over $8.6 million prescribed to over 2,100 families Rx Kids is effectively and efficiently bolstering family financial security, improving maternal and infant health, and reinvesting in local economies.
“When we invest in mothers and babies, we invest in Pontiac’s future,” said Dr. Mona Hanna, pediatrician, Director of Rx Kids, and Michigan State University College of Human Medicine Associate Dean of Public Health. “It has been a joy working with Pontiac leaders to bring this proven program to the city. The future is brighter for Pontiac families!”
The Rx Kids Pontiac application will be available starting May 1, 2025. Expectant mothers must live in the City of Pontiac and be at least 16 weeks pregnant or have a baby born as of May 1, 2025. For questions about eligibility and program details, please visit the Rx Kids FAQ page.
Help celebrate the launch of Rx Kids at the first-ever Rx Kids Pontiac Mother’s Day Baby Parade. All family members are invited to the event on May 9, 2025, from 3-6 pm, at Wisner Memorial Stadium, 441 Cesar E Chavez Ave., Pontiac. The parade will include enrollment opportunities, baby-friendly giveaways, community resources, games, food, music, and a parade to honor Pontiac’s families. Learn more.
Rx Kids Pontiac is made possible thanks to 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.