Child Poverty And Its Effects On Children

The Toronto Star published an article reporting that Toronto currently has the highest rate of children living in households that are considered low income in Canada (Monsebraaten, 2015). The article reports that in Toronto the child poverty rate is higher than the poverty rate of any other age group. This paper will discuss child poverty, how this is a challenge to public health practices and policies, and finally, discuss potential solutions for public policy that address this issue.

According to Parker, the chief characteristics of poverty are being tired, asking for help, looking into a black future. As well as poverty being living in a smell that never leaves, staying up all night, insects all over the place, dirt, and remembering. Parker breakdowns what poverty is to her with a good way of portraying it by writing to give the reader vivid descriptions.

According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, over 16 million children (22%) in the United States live below the federal poverty level, which is $23,550 per year for a family of four. Research has shown that a family requires an income of about twice that amount just to cover basic needs and expenses. Using these statistics, 45% of children in the US live in low-income households. Most parents of low-income children are employed, but unsteady employment accompanied with low wages leave families struggling to make ends meet. The effects of poverty on children are numerous and long lasting, such as impaired learning ability as well as social, behavioral, and emotional difficulties. Childhood poverty can also contribute to poor physical and mental health. Research has shown that poverty is the greatest threat to s child’s well-being, but public policies can make a difference when they are implemented effectively.

Educators and caregivers must understand that children come from diverse backgrounds. Children who live in poverty or low-income families face many challenges. When a child is from a low-income family, you must know and understand the obstacles the child and their families may face. There are many ways living in poverty can affect children and families; educationally, physically, and emotionally, cognitively, and socially. There are resources available and beneficial information to encourage and benefit families who live in poverty or low-income families.

Child poverty is becoming more of a big issue now more than ever in the U.K, with so many people unemployed and living on benefits. Children across the country are being deprived of basic living standards. The price of living is going up and it’s no wonder people are struggling to make ends meet. In my essay, I will talk about all aspects of how child poverty impacts greatly on children’s lives. I will talk about the effects poverty has on a child’s health, housing, education and social exclusion. I will also talk about how child poverty can be tackled, and the causes of child poverty with in the United Kingdom.

In the United States, child poverty has been a severe issue even when the country was established. When looking at the statistics of child poverty from the past, it is clear that there was an increasing number of families and children living in poverty. This trend dates back to the year 2000 when 11.6 million people were living in poverty. In 2007, the number of individuals suffering from poverty rose to 13.4 million, (Arrighi & Maume, 2007). This is due to the massive economic fallout, also known as the Great Recession. The United States lost over 7.5 million jobs and the unemployment rate doubled, which directly impacted parents and their children, (Grusky & etc., 2011). This crisis resulted in leaving many Americans financially insecure. Even though many of the financially stable individuals suffered a great loss, they were able to utilize their resources to navigate through the calamity and recover whereas those who were poor faced an economic issue with greater impact. They were faced with foreclosures, bankruptcies and mortgage felonies. Most importantly, the lives of the young children were negatively impacted as well. The four areas that the children were affected by from the Great Recession were: health, hunger, housing, abuse and neglect, (Wiltz 2015). In several households, there was at least one member that suffered from malnourishment because of the inadequate food supply for the family. On the other hand, numerous children were left to be homeless because of

In the introduction of this essay we will be looking at ‘what is child poverty?’ Poverty is often associated with the third world and developing countries where death from starvation and disease is the outcome. This kind of poverty is rarely seen in the UK though. Child poverty is unfortunately a result of adult poverty with Child poverty having lifelong consequences. There are 3.5 million children living in poverty in the UK today, that’s 27 per cent of children or more than one in four (department for work and pensions, 2013.) Poverty in the UK is about a lack of resources, lack of capital both income and wealth. But it can also be resource poor such as; education and good health

It is known that the children are unable to determine their life circumstances, their families, and care solely for themselves without supervision. With this being said, children have little to no jurisdiction in determining the situations that they are confronted with. Most of the time when we ponder child poverty we think of low-income families or lack of food in the household, but it extends beyond that to “an environment that is damaging to their mental, physical, emotional and spiritual development” (“Children Under Threat,” 2005). Unfortunately, the prevalence of youth poverty in the United States may seem uncommon to those who are personally unaffected by the crisis; however, statistics show that 15 million children (21% of all children) live in families with incomes below the federal poverty threshold (Child Poverty, 2017). Moreover, when considering the demographics of impoverished children the following are true: a child in the U.S. has a 1 in 5 chance of being poor and the younger they are the poorer they are likely to be, and a child of color is more than twice as likely to be poor than a White child (Child Poverty, 2017). Research proves that poverty is the single greatest threat to a child’s well-being as it decreases the likelihood of a child graduating from high school, and it increases the chances of them becoming involved with the criminal justice system (Ending Child Poverty Now, 2017).

When analyzing children growing up in poverty a lot of factors come into play such as their physical, psychological and emotional development. To grow up in poverty can have long term effect on a child. What should be emphasized in analyzing the effects of poverty on children is how it has caused many children around the world to suffer from physical disorders, malnutrition, and even diminishes their capacities to function in society. Poverty has played a major role in the functioning of families and the level of social and emotional competency that children are able to reach. Children in poverty stricken families are exposed to greater and emotional risks and stress level factors. They are even capable of understanding and dealing with

In the United States of America more than sixteen million children live in poverty. In the news today we notice many examples of poverty due to the lack of jobs. Job scarcity is a root cause for lower-income families. Poverty has a substantial effect on children: physically, mentally, and educationally.

Poor health is a direct of effect of poverty, children with families with no money or that live in a country that cannot provide the right kind of services do not have access to adequate medical treatment, “Psychological research has demonstrated that living in poverty has a wide range of negative effects on the physical and mental health and wellbeing of our nation’s children. Poverty impacts children within their various contexts at home, in school, and in their neighborhoods and communities”. If a child does not have the money it is impossible to get the necessary care that it needs, I witnessed this first hand: back when I lived in Africa I wasn’t much older than 3 or 4, I used to have a younger brother who got sick and it wasn’t even something very serious it was just a minor cold that could have been easily treated but thanks to lack of hospitals and the lack of money in our household the minor cold become very serious and I watched as my younger brother slowly died in my mother’s arms. Furthermore, the APA (the American psychological association) found that

Considering other countries are putting their efforts to limit the growth of child poverty Canada should also focus on initiating “Save the Children” mission. Canada should intensively participate in “Plan International” and “World vision”. Further studies have shown that Child development index is the most appropriate measurement of child poverty.

Given that information, one might presume that the struggle of poverty can be overwhelming, especially when the family has children in their home. The child deals with the struggles of not having the same advantages that others have in life. The child may experience the feeling of neglect and may become doubtful in weather or not they can perform daily activities that are usually taught by parents. “Children under 18 years represent 23 percent of the population, but they comprise 32 percent

Socio-economic factors are widely acknowledged as important determinants of poverty. If an individual experiences adverse living conditions in childhood, majority of them will have inadequate income and result in low socio-economic status as adults (Carroll et al, 2011). Children born in poor households have difficulty in accessing the basic needs (e.g. food, clothing, and good living environment) and this can affect their learning ability at school, unable to focus. In other words, they have a higher chance of dropping out of school or lower education attainment, unable to provide appropriate qualifications when they move onto adulthood, seeking for job opportunities. These children are finding day-to-day life tough, they are living in cold, damp houses, do not have warm or rain-proof clothing, their shoes are worn, and many days they go hungry (Children's Commissioner, 2012). Often this has taken place over a long period of time, impacting on their development, behaviour and physical health furthermore limiting their potential as they grow into adults.

In the United States and in countries all over the world, poverty has extreme impacts on a