Children In Poverty

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Children living in poverty are also faced with emotional trauma that can be very stressful. If their emotions are not met, feelings of not belonging, aggression, depression, anxiety, and impulsivity can arise (Engle & Black, 2008). Children in poverty often lack high self-esteem. With this emotional insecurity, children may not succeed academically. These children will not have any motivation to learn. Teachers need to help spark their desire to learn. Teachers can help these children to work hard by restoring their self-image and having them see the benefits of an education (Johnson, 2006).
While a parent may not be the dependable and loving adult, the teacher can be that steady figure in their lives of constant change. These children need …show more content…

One resource is health care. Families in poverty do not have access to adequate physical health care. Thus, physical outcomes include chronic asthma, low birth weight, and growth stunting in children (Brooks-Gunn & Duncan, 1997). Additionally, cognitive outcomes include developmental delays because of poor nutrition, higher chance for a learning disability, a shorter attention span, and other cognitive skills (Luby et al., 2013). Besides a child’s school performance, poverty also affects the physical makeup of their brain. Research shows that being exposed to poverty at an early age causes the child to have smaller hippocampal, amygdala, white matter and grey matter volumes (Luby et al., 2013). Having smaller volumes of these areas causes impairments in their functions. The hippocampus helps with spatial navigation and converts short-term memory to long-term memory (Luby et al., 2013). The amygdala processes memories and emotions (Luby et al., 2013). The white and gray matter is associated with sensory perception, muscle control, memory, emotions, sending communication in the brain, and speech (Luby et al., 2013). Thus, research shows that poor cognitive outcomes can lead to poor school performance with mental disorders and high-risk behaviors. Parents, however, can help the negative effects of the brain. If parents are supportive and mediate the level of stress in a child’s life, parents can play a role in the hippocampal …show more content…

Children should receive the intellectual and social skills to be successful in life through education. While intervention should be as early as possible, school readiness should be considered at all ages (Engle & Black, 2008). Children are always encountering new learning experiences, and they should always have the readiness to learn. A child’s earliest experiences and the quality of these experiences affect their future growth and development. If intervention is implemented early enough, the process of failing can be stopped before it even begins (Johnson, 2006). Implementing early childhood interventions can improve academic, social, and emotional intelligence and overcome the difficulties that come with living in poverty. The young children can then start school with a higher readiness to learn. Early childhood education programs help with the development of positive relationships with other children. Children of poverty can also develop their language abilities and cognitive skills in these early interventions (Johnson, 2006). If these children can be in a supportive and nurturing environment earlier in their lives, they will be able to focus on learning in school and have more of an opportunity at being successful in the

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