Cause Of Child Poverty In The United States

Child Poverty in the United States
Tracy Crawford
April 29, 2012
University of Phoenix

When we think of children living in poverty, most might think it is mainly a problem in third world countries. We have all see the commercials asking for donations to help the children from countries in Africa but how often do we hear about the children in the
United States? In the past decade child poverty has been on the rise in this country.
Child poverty has long and short-term hardships that involve implications with health and development. Developmental problems are a risk for children, who live in poverty, particularly if poverty occurs early in their life. This paper will examine the causes of child poverty
and the long- term effects poverty has on these children.

Causes of Child Poverty

Some of the factors that lead to child poverty consist of low wager, lack of child

support, parental education and minority status. Contrary to many stereotypes, half of the

children who live in poverty has a parent who works a full-time job. About a quarter of

children have a parent who works part-time and only about 16% of children have

unemployed parents. Generally, these parents are in low paying jobs with little room for

advancement. Though these parents work, their wages are not close to being able to

support a family. Children that tend to live in a single family home, especially if the

parent is a women, are more likely to be poor. Unfortunately, on average women tend to

make less then men. This in turn brings up the lack of child support in single-parent

families. Children in fatherless homes are five times more likely to live in poverty. The

U.S. Census Bureau reports that in 2010, only 47 percent of fathers paid full child

support. Because of this lack, these children are at higher risk for poverty, particularly if

they live in a single-parent home where the mother is the primary breadwinner.

According to the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), children whose

parents do not have a high school diploma are more likely to live in poverty. In fact, 83

percent of children with parents who did not graduate from high school live in poverty.

Also, 21percent of children in the U.S. live in families that are considered officially poor.

Child poverty rates are highest among black, Latino, and American Indian children.

Across the states, official child poverty rates range from 10 percent in New Hampshire to

30 percent in Mississippi. Macionis (2011) offers two views on poverty. One is blame the

poor and the other is blame society.
Blame the poor supports the view that everyone is

responsible for their own economic stature. Anthropologist Oscar Lewis performed a

study on poverty in 1961. His findings led him to the conclusion that poor people become

trapped in a “culture of poverty” thus creating a cycle of poverty. The second view on

poverty is to blame society. This view points to the loss of jobs in inner cities and claims

that there is just not enough work. This view also believes that the government should

fund jobs and provide affordable childcare to low-income families. (Macionis, 2011)

The government measures poverty by an income standard. However, the current poverty

measure was developed in the 1960’s and is need of updating due to various types of

inflation. The Federal poverty level needs to be updated to show the correct poverty level

with today’s cost of living expenses.

The Effects of Child Poverty and Health

Child poverty is a serous condition with long-term effects. It has been said that children

who grow up in these circumstances are more prone to severe health problems, than those

children who live in a better financial situation. Infants born into poverty have an
even

higher disadvantage from the beginning. Many are born with a low birth rare and that can

lead to many physical and mental disabilities. Not only are these infants more likely to

be sick but they also risk of dying before their first birthday. According to the American

Psychological Association, infants born in poverty often have low birth weight due to

poor maternal nutrition or lack of prenatal care. Children who live in poverty may suffer

from poor nutrition due to inadequate food supply.
These kids may also have few places

to play or get exercise, which can lead to weight problems. Children in poverty are at

higher risk for chronic health conditions like anemia, asthma, or pneumonia. Children

who experience poor living conditions may be exposed to environmental hazards like

medical waste or lead paint. In the United States, lack of health care insurance puts many

poor children at risk. (Da Fonseca, 2012).

The Effects of Child Poverty and Education

Not only do children in poverty stricken homes face health issues but also are at

risk of not receiving a quality education. Absenteeism is a huge factor in a obtaining a

successful education. If a child misses a great deal of their daily academics then it will

ultimately have a negative effect on reading, math and general knowledge. According to

the NCCP, studies have found that chronic absenteeism in early grade levels will lead to

low achievement as the finish elementary school. Due to the lack of proper

transportation, food and clothing, poor families may choose to just keep their children at

home. Another key issue with attendance is up to date immunization records. It
is

estimated that up to 20 percent of low-income families do not have the required

immunizations for their children to start school. There is also an emotional impact

involved with children in poverty. Research has shown that poor children experience

emotional problems much more frequently that those children from non-poor families.

Emotional problems place a hindrance a child’s ability to learn. As we know, emotions

are connected to memory. If a child is having an emotional issue, this will affect their

ability to think, learn ad grasp meaningful information. Children living in poverty may

exihit symptoms that will have a negative impact on their learning. These symptoms can

include irritability, lack of apathy, easily distracted and being fearful. According to

Engle and Black (2008), poor cognitive development affects academic performance.

Children who live below the poverty line are 1.3 times more likely to have developmental

delays or learning disabilities compared to non-poor children. Research indicates that

nutrition impacts children 's cognitive ability and that poor nutrition hinders physical

growth, brain development, and cognitive function. Chronic stress from lack of nutrition

and a poor environment inhibit the growth of dendrites and limit interconnections among

neurons. Poor children who attend school hungry perform more poorly on standardized

tests compared to non-hungry children. Poverty also increases the risk for lead poisoning,

which lowers IQ and causes speech and hearing problems.(Engle and Black, 2008)

Government and Child Poverty

In 1964 President Lyndon Johnson declared a war on domestic poverty. Since that

time, the U.S. government has funded hundreds of millions of dollars to large and small

towns throughout the U.S. Following the global economic crisis in 2008, President

Obama 's economic stimulus package aimed to expand funding for education and school-

based initiatives. Additional funding has helped to raise achievement for disadvantaged

children with funding for preschool programs like Headstart and college-level assistance

like the Pell Grant, which helps low-income youth go to college. "Such investments can

close achievement gaps and prevent poverty in the next generations," wrote Jane

Waldfogel, Professor of Social Work and Public Affairs at Columbia University.

There are many federally-funded programs in the United States that aim to reduce the

effects of child poverty. In 1975 the school breakfast program was made permanent in

schools across the country. Operating just like the school lunch program, students from

families that earn up to 130 percent of the federal poverty line are eligible for a free

breakfast, while those whose families earn more can pay a reduced price. TANF, or

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, is a program that allocates federal money to

the states. States use the money to help families achieve self-sufficiency and assure that

children receive proper care. Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, is a program that

provides federal grant money for the states to provide food, healthcare and nutrition

education to low-income mothers who are pregnant or have children up to 5 year of age.

Solutions to End Child Poverty

People cannot actively work to fix a problem if they do not know a problem exists.

The average American who keeps up with world news might know all about child

poverty overseas without ever realizing how much child poverty effects kids in his/her

own neighborhood. Spreading the word about how child poverty affects children in the

U.S. can inform, and possibly outrage, enough people that a movement arises that helps

to end child poverty. Holding community workshops, forming a nonprofit organization

that tackles poverty in your neighborhood, and writing your state congressional

representatives and senators, are some ideas on how individuals can help raise awareness.

Poverty rates are substantially lower in other industrializes nations because assistance is

provided to all families. This assistance includes health coverage, paid leave, and

assistance for childcare. I believe that raising the minimum wage would be a beginning in

trying to reduce child poverty levels.

Conclusion Despite some government aid, the war on poverty is far from over. U.S. policies have proven ineffective in supplementing poverty level incomes adequately enough to keep children out of poverty. One problem is that the way the government measures poverty is flawed. The government uses outdated assumptions about family expenditures, and family income is overstated because it is counted before taxes. The National Center for
Children in Poverty estimated that in 2007, nearly 29 million children under the age of 18 were living in poverty. That is nearly 40 percent of children in the United States. Child poverty is a continuing problem requiring an immediate response. Change will not happen overnight, but immediate change in national policy will be a start.

References

Da Fonseca, M. A. (2012). The Effects of Poverty on Children 's Development and Oral

Health. Pediatric Dentistry, 34(1), 32-38.

Engle, P. L., & Black, M. M. (2008). The Effect of Poverty on Child Development and

Educational Outcomes. Annals Of The New York Academy Of Sciences, 1136243-

256. doi:10.1196/annals.1425.023

National center for children in poverty. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://nccp.org/

Pressman, S. (2011). Policies to Reduce Child Poverty: Child Allowances versus Tax

Exemptions for Children. Journal Of Economic Issues, 45(2), 323-332.

Ranjith, S., & Rupasingha, A. (2012). Social and Cultural Determinants of Child Poverty

in the United States. 46(1), 119-142.