Zaiyi Jiang

With support from a grant awarded by Arnold Ventures, YPL has partnered with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to conduct an impact evaluation of MIHP. Using a randomized encouragement design, outreach specialist will provide enhanced recruitment to a subset of individuals who are eligible for MIHP, with a goal of increasing participation in the program. YPL will leverage that increase in participation to evaluate the program’s impact on key maternal and infant health outcomes.

With funding provided through Governor Whitmer’s Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies initiative, YPL evaluated the effectiveness of a pilot program to allow MIHP provider agencies to bill for additional services and care coordination for families with high levels of need for basic services. Providers received reimbursement for an additional home visit, longer home visits, care coordination services, and a discharge assessment. Key outcomes included social determinants of health, such as food security, financial stability, education, employment, treatment for mental health symptoms, treatment for subs...

Funded by Michigan Health Endowment Fund and in collaboration with Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, YPL worked with medical institutions throughout Michigan to help pediatric physicians refer patients more seamlessly to Early On, an early intervention program in Michigan for families with young children at risk of development delays. YPL evaluated the impact of an eFax referral template, integrated into electronic medical record systems, We measured the effects of eFax referrals on family access to Early On and on physicians’ knowledge and sentiments regarding the Early ...

The National Collaborative for Accelerated Learning (Accelerate) funded intensive small-group tutoring at several K-12 schools during the 2024-25 academic year as part of its Call to Effective Action. This work is continuing in 2025-2026 through the Evidence for Impact program.  YPL has been serving as an evaluation partner to conduct a randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of two tutoring models: virtual math tutoring for students in grades 3-6, and in-person literacy tutoring for students in grades K-3. We have used assessment data to help tutoring providers, schools, and policy-m...

With initial funding from UnitedHealthcare, YPL has partnered with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Maternal Infant Health Program (MIHP) to conduct a landscape analysis to explore the statewide need for expanding home visiting services to infants and toddlers beyond 18 months. It will also identify what additional services, resources, and tools would be required to support such an expansion.

Many Detroit-area students encounter significant barriers to completing a college degree, such as food insecurity, housing instability, and unexpected financial emergencies. In response, the Detroit Regional Chamber launched the Detroit Area Talent Fund (DATF) in 2023 to provide just-in-time emergency grants to students navigating time-sensitive financial challenges. The Youth Policy Lab is partnering with the Partnership for Education Equity and Research (Detroit PEER) at Wayne State University and Education Policy Initiative (EPI) at the University of Michigan to assess the implementation an...