As you listen to State of Opportunity's special on the value and benefits of early education you can use this guide to help you dive into the material, help you understand what you're hearing, and start conversations or discussions with your friends or co-workers.

PART ONE: This is your brain on poverty.

Clarification: We've updated the story to make the funding comparisons more clear.

Governor Snyder covered lots of ground in his State of the State speech last week. As we pointed out on our blog last week, he listed off a number of priorities he wants addressed this year – everything from fixing the state’s crumbling infrastructure to reforming no-fault auto insurance to pumping more money into early childhood education. But not all priorities, it seems, are created equal.

When it comes to modernizing the state's ailing infrastructure, Snyder called for more than $10 billion dollars in new taxes and fees over the next decade. He called it the "toughest single issue" of 2013, but something that must be done.

I found a recently released New America Foundation report really interesting for a couple of reasons. There's the data (more on that later), but I was fascinated by how the report also documents the same phenomenon that occurs when you look at yourself in the mirror for too long. When you stare at yourself for too long you start to not like what you see. Imperfections ("My nose is actually crooked!"), start to surface and then to loom very large.

Today, there are two speeches on everyone's minds: the speech that President Obama delivered on the steps of the Capitol, and the famous speech Martin Luther King Jr. gave on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. 

But there is another speech I have in mind on this MLK day, and it reminds us both of King's legacy and of the work that is left to do, for President Obama, for us and for our future. 

Janet Heller is one of State of Opportunity's many sources in the community. She shares her true story of how childhood bullying has continued to affect her life. You can share your story with us here.

When I was five, my parents moved to a different city.  I began afternoon kindergarten, but the students already knew one another and did not want to play with me during recess.  They treated me harshly.  Bobby pushed me down, and Charles threw stones at me.  Karen told me every day, “You’re so skinny I can see right through you!”  Her name-calling was the hardest for me to deal with because I was thin, so there was a grain of truth in the taunt.  I did not know what to do about the name-calling, and I did not know that Karen was bullying me.

I did not tell anyone until one day, Mom saw me crying after school and asked what was wrong.  I told her about Karen’s taunts.

Mom said, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names can never hurt me.”  This was typical advice to children in the 1950's.

Even though I was very young, I knew that this proverb made no sense:  I felt deeply hurt inside by the name-calling.  What I needed was advice and help in dealing with abuse.  After Mom’s dismissal of my story, I concluded that adults were not interested in my pain.

Early childhood education got a shout out from Governor Snyder last night in his annual State of the State speech. But was it a big enough shout?

Let's start with the major focus of Snyder's speech: roads and transportation. He called it the "toughest single issue" that he wants passed: roads. Over the next decade, Snyder wants to spend $1 billion more a year on the state's infrastructure. Here's a clip: 

There are a number of state and federal programs to help poor and at-risk children develop and thrive. But funding is tight, and the programs can only serve a select number of kids at a time. That means life on the waiting list for many low-income parents and their children.

Let's meet one of those families.

Amanda and Mike Hood live in a modest, cottage-sized house in Hillsdale, about 30 minutes north of the Ohio border. They have two dogs, two ducks, four fish, and two little blonde daughters - 2 year old Gracie and 5 year old Emma.

Emma was born with a very rare disease called Congenital Central Hyperventilation Syndrome (CCHS). She was just 4.5 lbs when she was born, and required round-the-clock care. Her mom, Amanda Hood, had to put her life on hold to take care of her daughter. She dropped out of community college and quit her job as a bartender, which meant her husband was the only one bringing home a paycheck.

Last year Mike Hood pulled in about $32,000 as a certified heating and cooling repair man.

Now, $32,000 for a family of four isn’t exactly destitute; they make about $8,000 over the federal poverty line. But funds are tight, what with medical bills, a mortgage, and a night nurse for Emma.  Not to mention all the money they have to pay for gas.

"We have to go to U of M, she’s got a neurologist, cardiologist, dentist, pulmonologist, gastroenterologist... and so we are constantly driving to U of M. It’s an hour-forty five minutes just to get there and an hour-forty-five to get back," says Emma's mom, Amanda Hood.

Being able to pay for something like preschool is a luxury they cannot afford.

Here at State of Opportunity we write stories about children who are considered 'at risk'. We often correlate being 'at risk' with one's racial group or socioeconomic status, but sometimes it can refer to one's health. In the case of the flu, it doesn't matter if you're White or black, rich or poor, you're still at risk of getting sick.

The ever reliable economic mobility project at the PEW Charitable Trusts has a new report out today. The question they researched was whether or not having a college degree helped people make it through the recession.