Poverty And Children In The United StatesEssay Preview: Poverty And Children In The United StatesReport this essayPoverty and children in the United StatesPoverty by definition means: “State of being poor. The state of not having enough money to take care of basic needs such as food, clothing, and housing.” (Encarta dictionary) That is a word that many of us ignore, yet poverty among children in the United States is problem that is not going to solve itself. People today are not concerned with the troubles of others like they were in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Communities back then looked out for each other. When one family was lacking the community pulled together to ensure the family had what they needed. Today communities are not that way. People only look out for their own well being. With modernization there comes social change and sometimes those changes are not for the better when it comes to today’s children living in poverty.
There have been many different studies to determine the percentage of children living in poverty. The United States Census Bureau’s estimate of children living in poverty increased from 13 million to 13.4 million from 2004 to 2005. This is “according to the latest report from the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, a division of the U.S. Census Bureau that calculates annual income for states, counties, and school districts. The report based its calculations on federal tax returns from families in each of the nation’s 14,000 school districts, and also looked at Food Stamp participation.” (Breaden, 2008) In this study the most salient was the how many more children under the age of 5 that live in poverty. In 2004 it was 4.1 million and increased to 4.2 million in 2005. “The highest percentages of children in this age group living in poverty were found in Louisiana, Mississippi, and the District of Columbia.” (Breaden, 2008)
“The Atlanta-based Southern Education Foundation released a study with grim news.” (Hing, 2008) Fourteen states were studied and a majority of the public school children are considered in the poverty level. Eleven of these states lie in the south. These eleven states also have higher birth rates and a majority of them are Latino and Black children. They have suffered federal cutbacks in anti-poverty programs. “Today, the South is the only place in the United States in which fifty percent or more of the public school students fall under low-income.
In the past, the poverty rates have been a lot higher for Blacks than it has been for Whites. Today, “the poverty gap between White and Black children is closing. Rates are decreasing more rapidly for Black children than they are for Whites.” (Gaps narrow, 2008) Because of this change the rate of crime and violence among Blacks is also down, it is almost the same as it is for Whites.
“Families and their children experience poverty when they are unable to achieve a minimum, decent standard of living that allows them to participate fully in mainstream society.” (Child poverty, n.d.) There are many causes of poverty and one of them is material hardship. A couple others are human and social capital. We all know that the basic needs are food, clothing, and shelter. But since times have changed the basic needs have also changed. In the United States today these basic needs consist of running water, indoor plumbing, electricity, and telephone service. On the human and social capital side we need “education, basic life skills, and employment experience, as well as less tangible resources such as social networks and access to civil institutions.” (Child poverty, n.d.) Only with these resources can a person move to a better neighborhood, have better job opportunities, and receive better health care. When a person achieves these things he/she then has a higher social standing in the community.
Poverty is most common among low levels of parental education. “Eighty percent of children whose parents have less than a high school diploma live in low-income families.” (Child poverty, n.d.) Fifty percent of children whose parents have only a high school diploma are low-income. Single parent families are more frequently low-income than two-parent families, but more than one out of every four children with two working parents are still considered low-income. In rural and suburban areas the many children are still considered low-income with two working parents. This is because the cost of living is much higher in these areas and it is harder to provide a living for a family. The rates of low-income for minority children are higher than for white children. “About 60 percent of black and Latino children and 63 percent of American Indian children live in low-income families, compared to about 26 percent of white children and Asian children.” (Child poverty, n.d.) Children with immigrant parents also have a higher rate of being low-income. “About 20 percent of this country’s children-nearly 17 million- have at least one foreign born parent. Fifty seven percent of children whose parents are immigrants are low-income, compared to 35 percent of children whose parents were born in the U.S.” (Child poverty, n.d.)
Hardship on an economic level and others can have lasting effects on a child’s development and lifestyle in the future. Being a low-family can get in the way of a child’s cognitive development and his/her ability to learn. Being at a low-income can cause children to have behavioral, social, and emotional problems, along with poor health. Children who are very young and live in low-income families and children who experience relentless and persistent poverty are at the greatest risks.
When parents provide healthy, nurturing, and stable environments for their children, these children have more of a chance to succeed later in life than those who grow up in low-income families. These families also live in better housing areas, have better health care, better schools, better grades, and more opportunities to participate in extra curricular activities. Children of low-income families have more of a tendency to drop out of school, have poor health, and do not have good job opportunities. Low-income families have a tendency to more from one public housing to another, are on public assistance and do not receive enough to make a better life, do not have the education to find better jobs, and are more likely to suffer from stress and depression.
• In addition to improving housing affordability, the Affordable Housing Act has created a public program that is helping people find affordable affordable homes. A grant to a local community group to encourage low-income families to invest in affordable housing is used to build and improve their homes and improve their incomes. It is also being used to promote affordable housing in a wide variety of communities to help them avoid moving to a more modest, less expensive place of employment. The new low-income public housing program is important for those families who need to find affordable housing, and is part of the federal government’s goal to maintain a healthy, inclusive, and competitive global economic system. All funding for the program will be used by the federal government to implement this target. It is important for families to know the programs they choose, and how they are using federal dollars to be part of the national effort to encourage community investments in affordable housing. How can communities and their partners be part of such a new approach to helping the public afford better housing? The new low-income public housing program is part of the federal government’s goal to make local communities better places to live for their kids. If communities want to be part of the program, they should take on federal funding as part of the $1 billion a year, or $750 million a year, necessary to provide housing to low-income children. Low-income communities should be able to participate by doing things such as purchasing housing vouchers and building a nonprofit community center. Community centers are a valuable resource in helping high-income families make the transition to more sustainable, affordable housing and provide opportunities for the next generation to earn the opportunities to achieve their parents’ aspirations. Community centers also address affordability and make it possible for families and communities to help buy and build affordable housing to make it better place to live than low-income families do. One of the goals of public housing in particular is to help families and community organizations better understand how their economic situation is going under the circumstances that they are currently facing. These low-income families have different priorities than high-income families which is why family members and friends should be aware that public housing will be important to them because they will be part of a community that will support them after their transition. While public housing will help them move on into more affordable housing if they cannot find one, it will also also provide additional support, financial assistance and support to support their kids during their transition to better housing. It is important for low-income families to understand that they are being part of a program that is helping residents of low-income families access affordable housing. The government now has the ability to provide access to affordable housing in some parts of the United States at a much greater percentage of the cost than one would have, which has created a significant barrier to access to many of the more affordable housing options that have been available to low-income families in recent years. Low-income families can find a community that will be a primary priority in helping them get affordable housing so they can live in healthier, more secure communities. Communities should also be
A 2010 report by the Institute for Social Research on the American Way of Life found:
“Low-income families have poorer access to basic services in basic public facilities, a lack of quality public financing and a lack of access to adequate access to private health care.
“High-income families also are living in neighborhoods where they may be less likely to move in with family or friends. They typically have inadequate housing, a lack of appropriate education, and have low health care.
“Low- and middle-income families live in neighborhoods that have high poverty rates and less opportunity to develop higher educated jobs, are also in poor working-class neighborhoods, and are at increased risk of poverty.
“High-income families have access to services not available to lower-income families, including health care. The use of private health care services by high-income families was higher for low- and middle-income families in 2006, 2011, and after-school programs. The use of public transit by low- and middle-income families in 2006 was better for both low- and middle-income families. Most states have policies that apply state level health and safety standards to private health care services.
“The economic disadvantage of the low-income population contributes to a high degree of segregation among children in schools. When children are poor, there is less choice among public and private health providers. Children of low-income parents are less likely to access essential services such as clean water and other sanitation, with fewer public health providers in school when healthy and healthy children are living in primary health care facilities.
The Institute of Social Research found:
“The low-income are more likely to have health care issues that include childhood asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic conditions. The low-income are also more likely to experience difficulties in paying for health care, including medication for chronic health problems, family emergencies, substance use disorders, and mental health issues.
“The poor are more likely to have severe physical and mental health disorders, including asthma, which can lead to major medical errors in people with special needs. The children and families in the low-income and middle-income families (or the children of low families, for that matter) are the most likely family to experience serious physical problems. The children of wealthy families or the children of low-income immigrants are the most likely to experience severe mental health problems in children with special needs.”
A 2012 study from The University of Cincinnati found:
“Children enrolled in low-income public universities from 2008 through 2012 were more likely than children in other non-academic education to have an increased risk of asthma. Children of lower-income families with higher incomes, in turn, had a higher incidence of asthma compared to children of higher income families.
“A 2006 survey from the University of Colorado and Colorado State University found that 11 percent of children who participated in public school during high school and 12 percent of children who participated in private school had asthma by age
A 2010 report by the Institute for Social Research on the American Way of Life found:
“Low-income families have poorer access to basic services in basic public facilities, a lack of quality public financing and a lack of access to adequate access to private health care.
“High-income families also are living in neighborhoods where they may be less likely to move in with family or friends. They typically have inadequate housing, a lack of appropriate education, and have low health care.
“Low- and middle-income families live in neighborhoods that have high poverty rates and less opportunity to develop higher educated jobs, are also in poor working-class neighborhoods, and are at increased risk of poverty.
“High-income families have access to services not available to lower-income families, including health care. The use of private health care services by high-income families was higher for low- and middle-income families in 2006, 2011, and after-school programs. The use of public transit by low- and middle-income families in 2006 was better for both low- and middle-income families. Most states have policies that apply state level health and safety standards to private health care services.
“The economic disadvantage of the low-income population contributes to a high degree of segregation among children in schools. When children are poor, there is less choice among public and private health providers. Children of low-income parents are less likely to access essential services such as clean water and other sanitation, with fewer public health providers in school when healthy and healthy children are living in primary health care facilities.
The Institute of Social Research found:
“The low-income are more likely to have health care issues that include childhood asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic conditions. The low-income are also more likely to experience difficulties in paying for health care, including medication for chronic health problems, family emergencies, substance use disorders, and mental health issues.
“The poor are more likely to have severe physical and mental health disorders, including asthma, which can lead to major medical errors in people with special needs. The children and families in the low-income and middle-income families (or the children of low families, for that matter) are the most likely family to experience serious physical problems. The children of wealthy families or the children of low-income immigrants are the most likely to experience severe mental health problems in children with special needs.”
A 2012 study from The University of Cincinnati found:
“Children enrolled in low-income public universities from 2008 through 2012 were more likely than children in other non-academic education to have an increased risk of asthma. Children of lower-income families with higher incomes, in turn, had a higher incidence of asthma compared to children of higher income families.
“A 2006 survey from the University of Colorado and Colorado State University found that 11 percent of children who participated in public school during high school and 12 percent of children who participated in private school had asthma by age
A 2010 report by the Institute for Social Research on the American Way of Life found:
“Low-income families have poorer access to basic services in basic public facilities, a lack of quality public financing and a lack of access to adequate access to private health care.
“High-income families also are living in neighborhoods where they may be less likely to move in with family or friends. They typically have inadequate housing, a lack of appropriate education, and have low health care.
“Low- and middle-income families live in neighborhoods that have high poverty rates and less opportunity to develop higher educated jobs, are also in poor working-class neighborhoods, and are at increased risk of poverty.
“High-income families have access to services not available to lower-income families, including health care. The use of private health care services by high-income families was higher for low- and middle-income families in 2006, 2011, and after-school programs. The use of public transit by low- and middle-income families in 2006 was better for both low- and middle-income families. Most states have policies that apply state level health and safety standards to private health care services.
“The economic disadvantage of the low-income population contributes to a high degree of segregation among children in schools. When children are poor, there is less choice among public and private health providers. Children of low-income parents are less likely to access essential services such as clean water and other sanitation, with fewer public health providers in school when healthy and healthy children are living in primary health care facilities.
The Institute of Social Research found:
“The low-income are more likely to have health care issues that include childhood asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic conditions. The low-income are also more likely to experience difficulties in paying for health care, including medication for chronic health problems, family emergencies, substance use disorders, and mental health issues.
“The poor are more likely to have severe physical and mental health disorders, including asthma, which can lead to major medical errors in people with special needs. The children and families in the low-income and middle-income families (or the children of low families, for that matter) are the most likely family to experience serious physical problems. The children of wealthy families or the children of low-income immigrants are the most likely to experience severe mental health problems in children with special needs.”
A 2012 study from The University of Cincinnati found:
“Children enrolled in low-income public universities from 2008 through 2012 were more likely than children in other non-academic education to have an increased risk of asthma. Children of lower-income families with higher incomes, in turn, had a higher incidence of asthma compared to children of higher income families.
“A 2006 survey from the University of Colorado and Colorado State University found that 11 percent of children who participated in public school during high school and 12 percent of children who participated in private school had asthma by age
The United States with all its wealth still has very high rates of child poverty and income disparity. The economy and government policy plays a big role in these conditions. When Clinton was President low-income rates