5 Ways Poverty Harms Children

In a blog post on January 8, 2014 David Murphey and Zakia Redd contributed to the post on 5 Ways Poverty Harms Children.  This article could not be more appropriate since it is the fiftieth anniversary of the War on Poverty proclaimed by President Johnson in mid 1960s.  At that time approximately 23% of children in the United States were living in poverty.  Fifty years later, the figures are almost identical, with the exception of an increase for black and Hispanic children of 5%, from 34% to 39%.  So in 2014, fifty years after war was declared on poverty, 1 in 4 youngsters lives in conditions of poverty, and if those youth are of color, it is 1 in 2-3.  The damage caused by living in poverty continues.  Here are five ways that poverty can harm a child.

First, poverty harms the brain and other body systems—Children of poverty are more likely to have chronic illness, shortened life expectancy and the actual development of the brain architecture is sometimes damaged.  Whether this is from the stress of not knowing about where you will live or what you will eat, or the fact that what you do eat is not nutritionally sound, the results are the same.  Children of poverty struggle with issues of health. 

Secondly, poverty widens and creates achievement gaps—One needs to look no further than the evidence surrounding summer learning loss to see this in action.  Research has demonstrated that youth of poverty are less likely to attend summer learning programs than middle class youth, and as a result, by the time they are in fifth grade can be two-three years behind others in their class.  Youth from poverty also tend to have poor self-monitoring skills, and low or poor school attendance, which exacerbates the achievement gap.

Third, poverty leads to poor physical, emotional, and behavioral health.  Children in poverty do not have the luxury of a sense of security around the basics.  If we look at Maslow’s Hierarchy, the lowest level of need is for the basics—food, clothing, shelter, which are often erratic and feel very much like “hit or miss” to youth in poverty.  This causes anxiety and stress and an inordinate amount of energy to be focused on survival.  These youth often have untreated chronic health issues such as asthma, causing even more stress and tension.  If you saw the movie, As Good As It Gets with Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt, you remember how her child went from one emergency room visit to another, with no real progress being made until the Nicholson character saw to it that she and her child had a private pediatrician to look after her son.   

Fourth, poverty leads children to live in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty.  The challenge in this is that not only is the child poor, but the neighborhood does not have what it needs to support youth.  These youth are more likely to witness and experience violence and more likely to attend a school that has fewer resources.  Poverty seems “normal” and just the way things are for youth who are surrounded by it.

Fifth, poverty can cause harm through the negative effects it has on families and home environment.  While it is certainly true that everything a child needs can’t be purchased, there are certain basics that are needed and that poverty holds at bay.  Parents report higher stress, aggravation, depressive symptoms and say they are challenged to plan, prepare, and provide for the children’s material needs.  They have fewer books and resources than in homes where poverty is not an issue. They are often challenged with temporary homelessness and housing instability.   

Building resiliency in youth of poverty is essential. One of the tried and true ways of doing this is through role models and mentors.  Many afterschool programs are in neighborhoods with high-poverty rates.  The training and staff development for the people who work with youth in these programs can make all the difference in the world.  Entrusted Legacy is working hard to find people, such as you, to invest in the training necessary for young people to succeed.  Support these youth today.  Go to our website at www.entrustedlegacy.org and invest in the future of these youth today.