Effects on Poverty of Young Families Children and Early Childhood Field

Rising Poverty in the Nation's Young Families

My goal is to make a positive change in the lives of young children, families, and the early childhood field by targeting childhood poverty.

Concepts

Poverty is increasing most rapidly in families with young children. While poverty only rose by 1.3% in the childless 30-64 age bracket, it rose by nearly 8% in families with a head under 30 years old with one or more children in the home (Sum, 2011). In fact, young families with children are more than six times as likely to be impoverished as older families (Sum, 2011). This marks a shift in communities at-risk for poverty, from the elderly to children (Sum, 2011). In addition, this wealth disparity is not only visible among the impoverished. "By 2010, slightly more than one-third of the nation's young families were poor or near poor, up by nearly 10 percentage points from the beginning of the decade" (Sum, 2011).

The escalation of poverty in children with families means children are at risk for a variety of related social problems. Poverty is linked to: "substandard housing, homelessness, inadequate nutrition and food insecurity, inadequate child care, lack of access to health care, unsafe neighborhoods, and underresourced schools" (APA, 2013). However, it is important to realize that poverty is about more than a lack of financial resources; it also reflects a lack of social capital. "many poverty researchers use a broader de-nition suggesting that "poor" means lacking not only material assets and health but also capabilities, such as social belonging, cultural identity, respect and dignity, and information and education" (Engel & Black, 2008).

Children in poverty face tremendous life challenges. First, it is important to recognize that poverty is stressful, and that chronic stress can impact a child's memory and ability to learn (APA, 2013). "Poorer children and teens are also at greater risk for several negative outcomes such as poor academic achievement, school dropout, abuse and neglect, behavioral and socioemotional problems, physical health problems, and developmental delays" (APA, 2013). In fact, impoverished children are 4.5 times more likely to drop out than children from higher-income families (APA, 2013). The education-income disparity is exacerbated for African-American and Hispanic children (APA, 2013). Furthermore, inadequate education makes it more difficult for children to break the cycle of poverty (APA, 2013).

Poverty can also negatively impact a child's mental and physical health. Several behavioral problems are linked to poverty, such as: impulsiveness, difficulty getting along with peers, aggression, ADHD, and conduct disorder (APA, 2013). Children living in poverty are also at risk for emotional problems like anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem (APA, 2013). They are also at risk for food insecurity, which can result in malnutrition and hunger, but also in obesity because of the type of binge-eating that frequently accompanies food insecurity (APA, 2013).

Furthermore, poverty has both direct and indirect impacts on children. For example, hunger is linked to poor performance in school, which is a direct effect of poverty. However, impoverished parents also lack many non-financial resources that parents in more affluent homes may have. For example, they probably lack the same basic education as parents from affluent homes and may be unable to help children with homework. Being impoverished makes them more likely to work odd-hours or multiple shifts, meaning that they do not have time to spend with their children (Vasagar, 2012). Finally, being impoverished means that they are stressed out, and, quite simply not at their best for their children.