Children Should Have Longer Nursery Hours Essay

When people hear the words “child poverty” some assume that this term may refer to homeless children who are living on the streets. This isn’t necessarily true, in fact some children who go to bed every night with a roof above their head still suffer from some form poverty. According to National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), 21% of children throughout the United States live in families who are considered poor. It is crucial for society to be more aware of this issue and to take part in contributing to help reduce child poverty within our country.

There are serious pockets of child poverty at a local level: in 100 local wards across the UK

In the UK, particularly in England and Wales, children’s life chances are determined by the economic status of the families into which they are a part of. Children from poor households are more likely to suffer the consequences of their families’ condition. They will have to endure the stigma of poverty in a profoundly lopsided society where the socioeconomic standing of individuals is determined by their capacity to buy. These poor children also have less access to quality educational opportunities (Welbourne, 2012). Furthermore, children living in poverty at present are likely to remain poor for the rest of their lives because of intergenerational cycles of poverty

The early year’s sector in the U.K. is complex, unlike many European countries it was not developed by government policy with specific aims but came about in response to families’ requirements which were based on changing economical and social factors. In the second half of the twentieth century public expenditure on early year’s provision focused on families with social needs and difficulties. Local authority day nurseries catered mainly for children who were at risk from harm mainly in deprived areas. There was early years provision available in the private sector in the form of childminders, nannies and private nurseries.

The range of Early Years Settings reflects on the requirements of parents and families for their children. Some parents want care for their children so that they can return to work, some may want to stay with their children while they socialise, some may want their children in a setting which offer services aimed at learning, whilst some may want their children to be in a home based environment and some families cannot afford to pay fees for provision. This is why the |Early Year’s sector has various forms of provision to meet the needs of families. Provision include

‘Poverty is on the agenda of the Every Child Matters framework, with one of the five outcomes stating that every child should ‘achieve wealth and economic well being.’ This means is it is important that children experiencing poverty have the same opportunities as their peers.’(CYPW, pg 186/187)

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

In the last 30 years, there has been increase in child poverty in the Britain.1 We, as a community, should do as much as we can to help in removing child poverty.

With minimal observation, it is not difficult to diagnose the issue. There is a cycle of inattention and indifference which quickly adds up to make the perfect equation for poverty. Parents of small children struggle to find and maintain a well paying job, and because of this often resort to working overtime, or even managing two jobs. With such busy parents (now on to be referred to as Generation A), these children (now

The Department for Work and Pensions Department for Education (2012) expressed that the target to halve child poverty from 3.4 million to 1.7 million by 2010 was missed and the system was deemed to be complicated and unclear. Although, the evidence did suggest the best route out of poverty was educational attainment and work, The Child Poverty Strategy (2014) implemented that suggestion, raising educational attainment, improving living standards and supporting families into work and increasing their earnings. In spite of this there were strengths and weaknesses to this strategy.

“High rates of child poverty are a cause for concern, as low family income has been associated with a range of negative health, education, justice, labour market and social outcomes. Negative health outcomes include low birth weight, infant mortality, poorer mental health and cognitive development, and hospital admissions from a variety of causes” (Craig, Reddington, Wicken, Oben & Simpson, 2013, pg. 24).

This Essay will be discussing the issues of inequality in early years and why it is important, how it impacts young children and adult 's experiences in their settings, the areas of inequality that I will be focus on is special educational needs, identity and family and diversity. To support this discussion, I will use different readings and my practice as a practitioner.  All observation that occur should be in the child’s best interest and not cause any harm to the child. I will make sure the child’s confidentiality will be kept by the use of non-identifying information. No staff, parents or the nursery shall be identified by their real name. parents should be allowed at any time to see observations that have be made.

The economic status of a child’s wider community also can have an effect on their development. The presence or lack of facilities within a community are often related to the prosperity of this wider community. Facilities such as hospitals, childcare centres, medical centres, child health organisations, access to parks, gardens and sporting centres etc all combine to form either a positive or negative influence.

Child poverty is a major and complex issue that New Zealand faces today. The degree is far more severe than the public's perception and it is a problem that we cannot afford to ignore. A combination of factors contributes to child poverty, from individual causes at the micro level to the macro collective government involvement. This occurs partly due to social construction and it is potentially avoidable. The consequences can impact on both individual and to a great extent affect significantly on the country as a whole. If the issue is not resolved, the inequality will continue, if not worsen and becomes an ongoing intergeneration cycle. 'The poor get poorer and poorer', children can easily fall into the poverty trap where it becomes

Childhood is a unique stage in our development. The quality of food, water, affection and education that children receive can impact on their subsequent lives and their potential to become engaged and productive citizens. This time presents a unique opportunity for governments and organisations to ‘level the playing field’ for children from poorer backgrounds through investments.