I. Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time. Poverty is losing a child to illness brought about by unclean water. Poverty is powerlessness, lack of representation and freedom. A.One in six children (more than 16 million) in America are living in the midst of poverty. 22% of all children live in families with incomes below the federal poverty line. 45% of children live in low income families.Child poverty rates are highest among black, Latino, and American Indian children.
B.The culture of poverty theory argues that poor people adopt certain practices, which differ from those of middle-class or “mainstream” society, in order to adapt and survive in difficult economic circumstances and that sometimes they continue to rely on these practices even after they are no longer useful and are potentially detrimental. The culture of poverty theory was part of a backlash against the policies implemented by President Johnson, and it was used to bolster the arguments of welfare critics.
C.THESIS STATEMENT: Some people take for granted what they have such as: shelter, food, and water. These three are common everyday necessity that many children in this country don’t have. It’s heartbreaking that while some people waste food, children in other parts of the world are struggling to survive. I believe that poverty is fixable if it is more publicized. If the public knows more about the dire situation and everyone contributes even a little bit, over time poverty can be fixed. II. Across the states, official child poverty rates range from 11% in New Hampshire to 32% in Mississippi. The effects of poverty ripples throughout society. U.S. Census data reveals that from 2009 to 2010, the total number of children under age 18 living in poverty increased to 16.4 million from 15.5 million. The increasing number is not stopping there unless their is a reasonable solution for it.
A.Poverty is linked with negative conditions such as substandard housing, homelessness, inadequate nutrition and food insecurity, inadequate child care, lack of access to health care, unsafe neighborhoods, and under resourced schools which adversely impact our nation’s children. B.Underprivileged 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. C.These effects are compounded by the barriers children and their families encounter when trying to access physical and mental health care. It’s harder for these children and families to find affordable health care due to the inequivalence of the society that we live in.
D.Economists have estimated that child poverty costs an estimated $500 billion a year to the U.S. economy; reduces productivity and economic output by 1.3 percent of gross domestic product; raises crime and increases health care costs. III. Poverty has a particularly high and hard effect on the academic outcomes of children, especially during early childhood. The academic achievement gap for poorer youth is particularly caused by low-income seen in African American and Hispanic children compared with their more affluent White peers.
A.Chronic stress associated with living in poverty has been shown to adversely affect children’s concentration and memory which may impact their ability to learn. When the inability to learn and concentrate is compromised, the school system tries to downplay the real issue by giving the child an Individualized Education Program (IEP) which is a written and signed statement saying that is supposed to meet every individual need for a child. B. Inadequate education contributes to the cycle of poverty by making it more difficult for low-income children to lift themselves and future generations out of poverty. Society has made us believe that if parents live in poverty, their children will do the same and it is a recurring cycle that we are supposed to believe will never change.
C. Under resourced schools in poorer communities struggle to meet the learning needs of their students and aid them in fulfilling their potential. Not every child living in poverty has the low education level stereotyped. They don’t all deserve to be put in the school closest to home that does nothing to further advance their education. D. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that in 2008, the dropout rate of students living in low-income families was about four and one-half times greater than the rate of children from higher-income families (8.7 percent versus 2.0 percent). Moreover, they are more likely to rely on public assistance, engage in crime and generate other social costs borne by taxpayers.
IV. Children living in poverty are at greater risk of behavioral and emotional problems. A. Some behavioral problems may include impulsiveness, difficulty getting along with peers, aggression, (ADHD) and conduct disorder. B. Some emotional problems may include feelings of anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. C. Poverty and economic hardship is particularly difficult for parents who may experience chronic stress, depression, marital distress and exhibit harsher parenting behaviors. These are all linked to poor social and emotional outcomes for children. D. Unsafe neighborhoods may expose low-income children to violence which can cause a number of psychosocial difficulties. Violence exposure can also predict future violent behavior in youth which places them at greater risk of injury and mortality and entry into the juvenile justice system.
V. Children and teens living in poorer communities are at increased risk for a wide range of physical health problems A.Low birth weight B. Poor nutrition which is manifested in Inadequate food which can lead to food insecurity/hunger, Lack of access to healthy foods and areas for play or sports which can lead to childhood overweight or obesity C. Chronic conditions such as asthma, anemia and pneumonia D. Risky behaviors such as smoking or engaging in early sexual activity E. Exposure to environmental contaminants, e.g., lead paint and toxic waste dumps F.Exposure to violence in their communities which can lead to trauma, injury, disability and mortality VI. Efforts to help this tragedy have evolved overtime Volunteer your time with charities and organizations that provide assistance to low-income and homeless children and families. Donate money, food, and clothing to homeless shelters and other charities in your community.
Donate school supplies and books to underresourced schools in your area. Make your voice heard! Support public policy initiatives that seek to: 1.Improve access to physical, mental, and behavioral health care for low-income 3.Americans by eliminating barriers such as limitations in health care coverage. 5.Create a “safety net” for children and families that provides real protection against the harmful effects of economic insecurity.
7.Increase the minimum wage, affordable housing and job skills training for low-income and homeless Americans. 9.Intervene in early childhood to support the health and educational development of low-income children. 10. 11.Provide support for low-income and food insecure children such as Head Start, the National School Lunch Program, and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) authorization. 12. 13.Increase resources for public education and access to higher education. 14. 15.Support research on poverty and its relationship to health, education, and well-being.
