Poverty+and+Early+childhood+development



The Affects of Poverty on Early Childhood Development

By: Katelyn Casale & Meaghan Carley


 * Poverty **is defined as “lacking, not only in material assets and health but also capabilities, such as social formation, cultural identity, respect and dignity, and information and education” (Engle & Black, 2010). Poverty is a dynamic process, and the reality is that it is becoming an increasing concern with young children and their school readiness. Poverty affects not only a child’s educational attainment but their developmental and social outcomes as well. Research has proven that effective intervention programs can significantly reduce the affects of poverty on a child’s reading, vocabulary, and cognitive skills, but are they enough? This wikipage looks to focus on the affects of poverty on children in the kindergarten years and early education programs and their potential educational advantages for children and what we can do to help.

The Child’s Social Network Research shows that children at the kindergarten level who display numerous family and social risk factors fare less well than children who experience fewer risk factors in assessments of early reading, math skills, and general knowledge (Mistry, Benner, Biesanz, Clark, & Howes, 2010).


 * Family Stress:
 * When assessing children’s development and well-being it is imperative to took at the family dynamic. When stress throughout the family is chronic that is when problems can arise. For parents, the stress associated with inadequate financial resources leads to elevated levels of depressive symptoms such as anger, frustration, and loss of control. “The capacity of poor parents for supportive, sensitive, and involved parenting is diminished (Robila & Krishnakumar, 2006).
 * "Wealth displays greater racial disparities than any other socioeconomic measure" (Yueng & Conley, 2008).
 * Parents in impoverished households are inconsistent and can be more forceful with their children. They tend to use more anxiety and guilt based methods of disciplining their children than those of non-depressed parents. Furthermore, some parents, particularly mothers, lack the necessary skills to help cope with typical stressful situations. These parents may also tend to use harsh discipline tactics like yelling, hitting, or threatening (Robila & Krishnakumar, 2006).
 * "A family's experienceof maternal hardship is known to create undue stress in children's lives, interfere with learning, and adversley affect development." (Mistry, R. S., Wadsworth, M.E., 2011, p.1).


 * Family Status:
 * Children who grow up in single parent homes tend to be at a disadvantage to their two parent counterparts. They are more likely to experience economic deprivation and live with mothers or fathers who are depressed (Keirnan & Huerta, 2008).


 * Parental warmth/responsiveness
 * Children who grow up in adequate, stable, households are subjected to a large amount of parental affection and responsiveness. This can also be described as consistent praise and vocalization by the parents, caresses or kisses to the child at least once, and an overall positive, nurturing, and genuine affection towards the child (Mistry, Benner, Biesanz, Clark, & Howes, 2010). For impoverished households, there are problems with the lack of support from the family, particularly with the child's early literacy skills. "Children who do not receive adequate support from parents and other adults in the home environment must depend on outside sources such as early childhood programs to fill the gap" (Green, S. D., Peterson, R., Lewis, J., 2006, p.2).
 * According to researchers Annemarie Hindman, Alison Miller, Laura Froyen, and Lori Skibbe, "familie's engagement in academic enrichment activities at home is among the most important early resources for a child's development." (2012, p. 654).
 * "It's especially important for families to encourage a love of reading and to demonstrate how writing is used to communicate information and ideas." (Everyday steps to reading and writing, 2013, p. 1).

=Connection to Literature = Book: Unnequal Childhoods, by Annette Laureau
 * Author Annette Laureau portrays two types of parenting in her first chapter.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The first is called concerted cultivation which is known to be practiced amoung middle class parents.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The second is called natural growth which is known to be practiced amoung the working class and poort parents.
 * The one that will be concentrated on and further explained for a connection of this topic is natural growth.
 * Parents who take the natural growth approach do not help or engage in their children's studies such as helping to promote skills of learning about language and literacy.
 * It's not that they dont care but that they may not have adequate enough education or enough materials to provide the child to help with the promotion of these skills.
 * "In the accomplishment of natural growth, children experience long stretches of leisure time, child-initiated play, clear boundaries between adults and children, and daily interactions with kin." (2003, p. 3).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Factors that play a role in determining the influence of language and literacy skills to children:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The quality of the child care environment
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Teacher/training effectiveness
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Socioeconomic status of the child/ family
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Level of parental involvement
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Amount of time spent each day/ week in the program
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Overall length of enrollment in the program
 * According to researchers Nikki Aikens and Oscar Bariban, "Economically disadvantaged children acquire language skills more slowly, exhibit delyaed letter recognition and phonological sensitivity, and are at risk for reading difficulties." (2008, p. 235).
 * "Reading growth is established early in children's school careers and that it becomes increasingly difficult to close the gap between strong and weak readers." (Ortiz, M., Folsom, J. S., Otaiba, S. A., Greulich, L., Thomas-Tate, S., Connor, C. M., 2012, p. 407).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the Journal article, "Language and literacy promotion in early childhood settings: A survey of center-based practices", the authors pose two questions to be answered with their research. These two questions include: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. To what extent do early childhood educators engage children in language and literacy activities in their centers, and <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">-Based on materials they provide, how often they engage in teacher children skills or language and literacy.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. What educator or programmatic characteristics are significantly associated with the promotion of language and literacy activities in early childhood centers? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">-Based on age, race, number of years working,

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">These authors are trying to find information to gain more knowledge in exactly what these early childhood educators are teaching the young children in these childcare facilities and if in fact it is enough to promote the early language and literacy skills that are required to be learned at such early ages.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Researchers asked Childcare providers to rank how much they can offer to promote early language and literacy skills based on:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Type and status of childcare centers- type of program they work for and whether it is licensed or registered.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Availability of print materials- books, etc.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Number of children in a classroom- ratio of teacher to child.

Results
 * The researchers found that the programs were only effective if the teachers were given adequate training and education in their fields.
 * Also the amount of materials that are developmentally appropriate for children to promote language and literacy skills.
 * Finally the amount of children in the programs to the ratio of teachers availiable to help promote these skills
 * "Researchers, educators, parents, and policy makers are increasingly coming to the conlcusion that more effort needs to be given to strengthening the quality of child care programs across this nation.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Parenting educational and support programs:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For families participating in EI programs, parents can also redeem benefits:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Interactions with other parents and children in a safe environment
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Established sense of trust and legitimacy, which make the development of relationships much easier
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Assistance in finding jobs, English-language classes, and marriage training classes
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Heightened motivation for academic success for themselves and their children (Karoly & Gonzalez, 2011).

NAEYC for Families What is Expected of Literacy in Preschool Years
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Name and rhyme alphabet letters
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hear rhymes and sounds in words
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Recognize and write their own names
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Use new vocabulary words in their conversations
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Listen to stories and understand what they hear.

Effectiveness of Early Head Start
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A federally funded program provided to serve low-income pregnant women and families with children from birth to age 3.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">the programs provide high-quality, comprehensive child development services which can be administered through home visits, child care facilities, case management, parenting education, and health care referrals.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Families may pick from home visits, center-based, or a combination of both.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Significant improvement was based on length of enrollment in the program.

A video about Early Head Start: media type="youtube" key="LSCI7sOikmY?version=3" width="560" height="315"


 * "Interventions during the early years of a child's life may be most important in diminishing the harmful effects of poverty on children's behavioral and emotional development." (Rijlaarsdam, J., Stevens, G.W.J.M., van der Ende, J., Hofman, A., Jaddoe, V. W. V., Mackenbach, J. P., Verhulst, F. C., Tiemeier, H., 2013, p. 125).

AVANCE:

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A non-profit organization dedicated to providing parent education and family support services to impoverished and disadvantaged families with children from birth to age four.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">program started in 1973, based throughout California, New Mexico, and Texas. This early childhood education program centers around impoverished and disadvantaged families with children from birth to age four.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Includes:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Three hour classes that span the school year (September to June)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Early childhood education for the children of the adult participants
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Weekly home visits
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Transportation to and from services
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Meals during class time
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Advocacy and support

media type="youtube" key="nQoQBpP6hBc?version=3" width="420" height="315"

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Are Early Intervention Programs enough?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This could be an arguable question to answer.
 * "Early childhood interventions typically provide direct services to the child and intervene with families, with the hope that changes in parents will result in changes for children or for both parents and children." (Love, J. M., et. al., 2005, p. 885).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Based on research found in the article, researchers found that the majority of early childhood educators do promote language and literacy skills on a daily basis.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, there is a substantially high majority of educators who do not work with their children on a daily basis to help promote these skills.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">They do not read aloud to them nor do they engage in discussion and ask the children questions about the storied during or after readings.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">They also do not engage in phonic activities.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Availability of print materials at the center was one of the strongest predictors of early childhood educators’ willingness or ability to engage children in important literacy activities." (Green, S. D., Peterson, R., Lewis, J., 2006, p.10).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"The IRA and NAEYC recommend in their position statement that early childhood classrooms, schools, and public libraries include a wide range of high-quality children's books, computer software, and other multimedia resources." (Green, S. D., Peterson, R., Lewis, J., 2006, p.10).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This study did have limitations on the information they were given access to. The educators were not randomly selected and thus it made it harder for educators to determine why some educators had higher standards in their facility than others.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">They did come to a conclusion that some facilities have greater access to funding of adequate materials to provide to their children and also training support of staff to help in the promotion of these early language and literacy skills of children.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Also the information that was gathered from this study did not provide explanation as to how these educators conduct these activities in their classrooms to promote these skills in children.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"It is entirely possible that respondents in this sample believe they are doing the things necessary to promote children's literacy development, when in fact they might not have received sufficient training to know whether or not what they are doing is based on best practices established in the research." (Green, S. D., Peterson, R., Lewis, J., 2006, p.11).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What Can We Do?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">As educators:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Continue to support and advocate for schools that strive to achieve equality of outcomes for all children.
 * Advocate and support early intervention programs that provide academic, social, and community support for disadvantaged children.
 * Encourage parents to increase their basic knowledge of child development. Focus on the developmentally appropriate needs and activities for their child.
 * Encourage parents to attend parent-child classes and programs. Many of these programs are free and require no formal application.
 * Stress the importance of support and networking. Keep a list of community-based organizations handy so you are able to quickly introduce new support systems to parents.
 * Always be aware that poverty is not always obvious. "One if five low-income families is headed by parent who works full-time all year; thus it is often difficult to tell if a family is in need" (Ferguson, Bovaird, & Mueller,2007).

References Aikens, N. L., & Barbarin, O. (2008). Socioeconomic differences in reading trajectories: The contribution of family, neighborhood, and school contexts. //Journal of Educational// //Psychology, 100//(2), 235-251.

Engle, P. & Black, M. (2010). The effect of poverty on child development and educational outcomes. //Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1136,// 243-256.

Everyday steps to reading and writing. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2013, from Naeyc for Families website: [].

Ferguson, H.B., Bovaird, S., & Mueller, M.P. (2008). The impact of poverty on education outcomes for children. //Paediatric Childrens Health, 12,// 701-706.

Green, S. D., Peterson, R., & Lewis, J. R. (2006). Language and literacy promotion in early childhood settings: A survey of center-based practices. //Early Childhood Research and// //Practice, 8//(1), 1-16.

Hindman, A. H., Meyers, A. L., Froyen, L. C., & Skibbe, L. E. (2012). A portrait of family involvement during head start: Nature, extent, and predictors. //Early Childhood Research// //Quarterly, 27//, 654-667.

Karoly, L. & Gonzalez, G. (2011). Early care and education for children in immigrant families. //The Future of Children, 21,// 71-101.

Kiernan, K. & Huerta, C. (2008). Economic deprivation, maternal depression, parenting and children's cognitive and emotional development in early childhood. //The British Journal of Sociology, 59,// 1468-4446, doi: 10.1111/j.1468.2008.00219.x.

Love, J. M., Kisker, E. E., Ross, C., Constantine, J., Boller, K., Chazan-Cohen, R.,. . . Vogel, C. (2005). The effectiveness of early head start for 3-year-old children and their parents: Lessons for policy and programs. //Journal of Developmental Psychology, 41//(6), 885-901. []

Laureau, A. (2003). //Unnequal childhoods//. London, England: University of California Press.

Mistry, R. S., & Wadsworth, M. E. (2011). Family functioning and child development in the context of poverty. The Prevention Researcher, 18(4), 1-6.

Mistry, R.S., Benner, A., Biesanz, J., Clark, S., & Howes, C. (2008). Family and social risk, and parental investments during the early childhood years as predictors of low-income children's school readiness outcomes. //Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 25,// 432-449.

Ortiz, M., Folsom, J. S., Otaiba, S. A., Greulich, L., Thomas-Tate, S., & Connor, C. M. (2012). The componential model of reading: Predicting first grade reading performance of culturally diverse students from ecological, psychological, and cognitive factors assessed at kindergarten entry. //Journal of Learning Disability, 45//(5), 406-417. []

Rijlaarsdam, J., Stevens, G. W. J. M., van der Ende, J., Hofman, A., Jaddoe, V. W., Mackenbach, J. P.,. . . Tiemeier, H. (2013). Economic disadvantage and young children's emotional and behavioral problems: Mechanisms of risk. //Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology,// //41//, 125-137.

Robila, M., & Krishnakumar, A. (2006). Economic pressure and children's psychological functioning. //Journal of Child and Family Studies, 15,// 435-443, doi: 10.1007/s10826-006-9053-x

Roskos, K.A., Christie, J. F., Richgels, D. J. (2003). The essentials of early literacy instruction. //Journal of Young Children, 58//(2), 52-60.

Yeung, W.J., & Conley D. (2008). Black-white achievement gap and family wealth. //Society for Research in Child Development, 79,// 303-324