Perry Preschool | state of opportunity

State of Opportunity special: Your tax dollars at work

By Brittany Bartkowiak • Jul 30, 2015

Michigan spends about $5.6 billion on social welfare programs a year, and that doesn't include health care.

Even though that's only about 10% of the state's total budget, our passions and our politics are very much at work when we talk about these programs.

In this hour-long special, we uncover why we get so emotional about social welfare spending. Do these emotions keep us from having policies and programs that would actually help families in Michigan get ahead?

Pay now or pay later? The State of Opportunity story

By Jennifer Guerra • Sep 23, 2014

Pay now or pay later? I feel like that could be the unofficial tag line for our State of Opportunity project.

The "pay now or pay later" question comes up time and again when we talk about programs aimed at helping kids climb out of poverty. For example: Do we spend the money up front for high-quality preschool for low-income kids, or do we wait until they're falling behind to try and step in to help? Do we offer preventive medical care for low-income kids, or do we wait to treat them until they've developed asthma or heart disease later in life?

Another study shows preK pays off, this time in Kalamazoo

By Jennifer Guerra • Jun 20, 2013

Extra! Extra! High-quality preschool makes a difference. Actually, that's hardly breaking news. Study after study after study that has shown the benefits of high-quality preK, particularly for disadvantaged students.