We know that children are aware of class, but Jessi Streib at the University of Michigan showed in a study published last year just how early this can happen, and how it affects the learning environment. Streib found that preschoolers who came from more affluent backgrounds used verbal skills they learned at home to interrupt class, redirect the teachers' attention and "effectively silence the working-class children."

 Every parent knows that raising a child doesn't always go according to plan. Today we'll hear from a mom who's had to change her plans more than a few times to do what's best for her daughter. Click above to hear the story of Kayla McQuesten and her daughter Baya Foster, who live in Belmont. 

McQuesten also runs a Facebook group for Grand Rapids Area Moms. 

Dustin's Dwyer's post on us all being defined in part by our brains when we were 4 years-old had me thinking, worrying actually, about people who were not stimulated as little kids. What about those kids that were not thriving in preschool, but were instead having a really rough time?

According to First Focus and Save the Children, two organizations that advocate for children at the state and federal levels, the United States is barely getting a passing grade when it comes to childhood well-being.

The two organizations released America's report card, and gave the country a C-minus overall.

For some, State of Opportunity's documentary on Michigan’s infant mortality crisis was an introduction to the issue. 

But for others, infant loss has long been a topic of worry or grief.

Here is a question that is at the core of our work at State of Opportunity: How much of your economic destiny is tied to your parents, and how much do you control?

When scientists try to answer this question, what they’re measuring is something called “social mobility.”

We've been looking into new research that suggests your fate is not just tied to your parents, but to ancestors hundreds and hundreds of years ago. And improving opportunity across generations might be a lot harder than anyone imagined.  

In our final segment of State of Opportunity, Jennifer Guerra looks at what's being done today to help ensure that all children have an equal shot at celebrating their first birth - no matter where they live, what color their skin is, or how much money their parents have in the bank.

A Healthy Start approach, or how to get the black infant mortality rate down to zero

State of Opportunity reporter Jennifer Guerra tagged along with Jenny Hall on a home visit to see a client of hers who lives near Flint. 

In part two of our State of Opportunity documentary on infant mortality and disparities, we ask the question: Why are black babies two and a half times more likely to die before they turn one than white babies? 

Two of the leading causes of infant mortality are babies that are born too soon or too small, and a disproportionate amount of those babies are African American. 

Growing up in a toxic soup