Poverty in children is a pervasive problem that it impacts the health, social, emotional, and physical development of children, contributing to lower levels of academic success. According to the 2016 United States Census, twenty-one percent of children under the age of eighteen live below the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) (US Census Bureau, 2017). The FPL is calculated using an agricultural formula that examines cost to feed a given family size but does not consider other essential living expenses such as housing, childcare and the rising cost of healthcare. Since the 1950’s FDL calculations have only been updated to adjust for inflation leading some professionals argue that the number of children living in poverty is actually closer
Poverty in children is a pervasive problem that it impacts the health, social, emotional, and physical development of children, contributing to lower levels of academic success. According to the 2016 United States Census, twenty-one percent of children under the age of eighteen live below the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) (US Census Bureau, 2017). The FPL is calculated using an agricultural formula that examines cost to feed a given family size but does not consider other essential living expenses such as housing, childcare and the rising cost of healthcare. Since the 1950’s FDL calculations have only been updated to adjust for inflation leading some professionals argue that the number of children living in poverty is actually closer