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.
