Commission approves extension of Learning Parents Partnership grant after model shifts from stipends to capacity building

The Health and Human Services committee approved a modification and time extension to a WK Kellogg Foundation grant intended to support the Learning Parents Partnership program.

Canal Johnson, director of the Department of Health, Human and Veteran Services, told the committee that the county received the Kellogg grant in 2024 and that, during contracting with Generation Hope, the department and the funder agreed to shift the program away from an earlier proposal that included student stipends. "That is no longer going to be part of the contract," Canal Johnson said, adding that the county and partners will instead focus on capacity-building measures at three community colleges in Wayne County (upgrades to child care centers, lactation rooms, playgrounds and study spaces) to support students who are parents.

Commissioners asked several procedural and budget questions: whether the county would contribute funds (staff said some county post‑pay dollars would be blended with Kellogg funds), whether the extension could be approved before the final program contract is complete (commission counsel and staff said the commission may approve the grant extension while the department finalizes contract language), and when staff would return with a full contract (staff said they expect to return within a few months). The motion to approve the modification and extension was moved and supported by commissioners and passed during the meeting.

Staff emphasized they would return to the committee with the detailed, redrafted contract and program description before launching the program; the commission’s action approved the funding extension to preserve the grant while details are finalized.