Hundreds of studies, books, and reports have examined the effects of poverty on the well-being of children. Low income students have been found to repeat grade levels at an increased rate versus students from higher income homes. More than one-third of low income students begin kindergarten not ready for school. Children affected by poverty have a higher rate of absenteeism in school or drop out because of having to work to bring income into the household. For some children, the effects of poverty on education present unique challenges in breaking the cycle of generational poverty and reduce their chances of leading rewarding, productive lives. Six poverty-related factors are known to impact child development in general and school readiness in particular. They are the incidence of poverty, the depth of poverty, the duration of poverty, the timing of poverty (eg, age of child), community characteristics (eg, concentration of poverty and crime in neighborhood, and school characteristics) and the impact poverty has on the child’s social network.(parents, relatives and neighbors). Children from low-income families often do not receive the stimulation and do not learn the social skills required to prepare them for school. Typical problems are parental inconsistency (with regard to daily routines and parenting), frequent changes of primary caregivers, lack of supervision …show more content…
Some problems may include feelings of anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Long-term poverty has been associated with children’s feelings of anxiety, unhappiness, and dependence, while current poverty is associated with acting out, disobedience and aggression. Overall, poor children may be less likely to have the kinds of buffers in their lives that can protect them. For example, lower income families are more likely to be headed by a parent who is single, has low educational attainment, is unemployed, has low earning potential, and is young. These parental attributes, separately or in combination, might account for some of the observed negative consequences of poverty on children. Poverty for example, in single parent homes may expose children to harsh parenting stemming from stress and depression based on the economic situation. These types of hardships during childhood can turn into hardships that last through adulthood. The effect of poverty on the emotional state of a child contributes to student interest and overall