Two Governors Issue Separate September Proclamations

In separate state-level actions, two governors issued proclamations designating September as a month of recognition for different causes. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proclaimed September as Kinship Care Month, aiming to recognize relatives and trusted adults who care for children during family crises. Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe proclaimed September as Workforce Development Month, highlighting efforts to help individuals gain job skills and ensure businesses have access to needed talent. According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 63% of children in out-of-home foster care placements in the state are placed with relatives. Factors cited as contributing to the need for kinship care include substance abuse, financial hardship, the death of a parent, child abuse or neglect, and incarceration. In Missouri, the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development is highlighting statewide programs designed to expand career pathways as part of the Workforce Development Month observance. The two proclamations are unrelated events occurring in different states, connected only by their timing within September and their designation as monthly observances by state governors. No further details on specific events, funding, or programmatic outcomes tied to either proclamation were included in available reporting. It remains unspecified whether either state has additional planned activities, legislation, or public events associated with the respective observance months.