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What factors influence child development
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External factors influencing child development
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Children in families with lower incomes at or below the poverty line have been connected with poor cognitive and social development in early childhood. The studies that I chose to use evaluate the cognitive and social development during early childhood using various surveys, evaluations, and observations completed by or with the children, parents, and teachers. Development of any kind is dependent on the interplay of nature and nurture, or genetics and environment. These studies draw from a child’s environment during the earliest years of development, specifically birth, pre-school, and early elementary school. The studies propose living in an impoverished environment as opposed to an environment above the poverty line imposes certain restrictions on cognitive and social development during early childhood.
In the first study titled “Neighborhood Poverty, Social Capital, and the Cognitive Development of African American Preschoolers”. O’Brien and O’Campo examined the ecological context of neighborhoods and the effects held over cognitive development for children, specifically African American preschoolers. The focus of the research was to answer two questions related to how social capital of a family and neighborhood contribute to cognitive development of African American preschool-aged children (O’Brien, 2006). The main focuses were to determine if the differences in cognitive development was associated with neighborhood poverty over and above family characteristics, and if the differences could be explained by social capital or family capital. In order to do so, they evaluated various components of neighborhoods and families.
In neighborhoods, research was focused on the neighborhood structure, including impoverishment and popu...
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...d in the first study. Both studies show the impact poverty, no matter the duration, has on children during the early stages of development. Both studies prove, along with other factors of neighborhood and family life, a child may not be able to succeed solely based on the circumstances in which they are born.
Works Cited
Allhusen, V., Belsky, J., Booth-LaForce, C., Bradley, R., Brownell, C. A., Burchinal, M., & ... Weinraub, M. (2005). Duration and Developmental Timing of Poverty and Children's Cognitive and Social Development from Birth Through Third Grade. Child Development, 76(4), 795-810. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2005.00878.x
O'Brien Caughy, M., & O'Campo, P. J. (2006). Neighborhood Poverty, Social Capital, and the Cognitive Development of African American Preschoolers. American Journal Of Community Psychology, 37(1-2), 141-154. doi:10.1007/s10464-005-9001-8
Poverty affects a child’s educational outcomes beginning in the earliest years of life, both directly and indirectly. School readiness has been recognized as playing a unique role in escape from poverty in the United States and increasingly in developing countries. The driving forces in poverty are Survival, relationships, and entertainment. These are critical elements that make up the poverty alleviation strategy. This essay reviews the interventions needed to improve school readiness of children in poverty, and provides recommendations for helping them further their driving forces.
Thus far, children who are falling below the set educational standard, families living in poverty, and families living in dilapidated neighborhoods have all been identified as populations of interest. Research suggests that there is a strong predictive relationship between a child’s poverty status and their well-being (Prince, Pepper, & Brocato, 2006). This would suggest that the target population is children and families living in poverty. However, more information should be considered before choosing causal
Letourneau, Nicole Lyn, Duffett-Leger, Linda, Levac, Leah, Watson, Barry, Young-Morris, Catherine (2013). Socioeconomic Status and Child Development: A Meta-Analysis, Journal of Behavioral and Emotional Disorders. Volume 3, pages 211-224.
There is a strong correlation between socioeconomic status and child cognitive development. The research presented in Socioeconomic Disadvantage, School Attendance, and Early Cognitive D...
The socio-economic status of the immediate family and the wider community can have either a “positive or detrimental” (Understanding the Early Years, 1999) influence on the individuals development. For example research has shown that children brought up with parents that are poor and have limited educational qualifications wi...
Cooper, J., Masi, R., & Vick, J. (2009). Social-emotional Development in Early Childhood. National Center for Children in Poverty.
According to the U.S. Department of Education (2012), “Communities that face underperforming schools, rundown housing, neighborhood violence, and poor health know that these are interconnected challenges and that they perpetuate each other” (p. 5). It is not enough to only target education, jobs, or mobility programs. These alone do not attack the root cause of substandard living, as this quote indicates. Instead, the city must implement place-based policies with a “cradle-to-career continuum of services” (U.S. Department of Education, 2012, p. 5). An example of this kind of policy is the Harlem Children’s Zone, a program based in Central Harlem that offers a holistic approach to community development. This program focuses not only on improving education, but also on “social services, family support, health, and community-building programs” (Harlem Children’s Zone) all the way from early childhood through college graduation. The HCZ, which addresses issues both in and outside of the classroom, can serve as a model for programs in the most struggling Chicago
They are even capable of understanding and dealing with their own emotions as well as the emotions of others. Some of the implications of poverty include educational setbacks, issues with social behaviors and hindrances in psychological and physical development. Poverty deprives children of the capabilities needed to survive, develop and prosper in society. Studies have shown that the income status of a household and even the neighborhoods in which they reside can affect the amount of readily available resources needed to sustain a healthy child. This essay will examine the psychological and physical effects of poverty on children.
The impact of socioeconomic status defined by household income or parental education is significant in understanding child’s emotions, behaviors, and learning. It is generally believed that emotional, behavioral, and learning difficulties are more common for children whose families are in a lower socioeconomic status or whose parents have a lower level of educational attainment. Likewise, many studies done in the past argue that socioeconomic status has a crucial influence for child development.
Laden, Greg. "Children from Low-income Families at Educational Disadvantage." Science Blog. N.p., 26 Dec. 2008. Web. 8 Jan. 2014.
Living in poverty exposes children to disadvantages that influence many aspects in their life that are linked to their ability to do well in school. In the United States of America there are an estimated 16.4 million children under the age of 18 living in poverty (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). “The longer a child lives in poverty, the lower the educational attainment” (Kerbo, 2012). Children who are raised in low-income households are at risk of failing out before graduating high school (Black & Engle, 2008). U.S. children living in poverty face obstacles that interfere with their educational achievement. Recognizing the problems of living in poverty can help people reduce the consequences that prevent children from reaching their educational potential.
Among the poor access to educational programs are social inequality and racial discrimination. Children cannot help or decide if they come from a poor family or a different ethnic background. It should not matter if kids cannot afford an education like the upper class because if the less fortunate kids aim and strive for an education they ought to have a chance to earn one and have an equal education just like the rich children. Many aspects contribute to the “Access to high quality early childhood education and care is the first step in breaking the cycle of [this] disadvantage and will make a difference in children’s development and future learning”. Job losses, child poverty, racial discrimination, and homelessness are many examples of difficulty and inequality that the poor have to face. More research and studies are being done about educational inequality and the affect on people’s lives and futures. Peoples’ social status should not be determined by the amount of money they make, by their education, or their ethnicity.
About half of Americans who grew up in poor families but didn’t have the ability to progress within their education are considered as lower class. This type of relation between U.S. education and poverty in the country can be viewed by almost anybody within all grades of any public school. This idea can be viewed within the earliest level of education, such as pre-primary education, where a lot of poor Americans will start with disadvantages.
Socioeconomic status can be defined in terms of family wealth and assets as well as educational background. For this reason, many comparisons can be made between socioeconomic status and education. Furthermore, academic achievement and the level of education reached by an individual, is determined by socioeconomic status. Research has shown that environmental circumstances and family issues greatly influence a child's future because the impact of the socioeconomic status depends on the level to which an individual becomes successful in life. Research also shows that family conditions can impact a child’s education and their quality of life. For example, being raised in a high-economic culture increases the chances that a child will attend
Especially if my parents were to relocate to a low-income neighborhood, I would not have been the same independent, intelligent black young women I am now. I grew up in a middle-income neighborhood in a nice condominium. We had great neighbors that helped one another other out through any situation. According to Vox, they stated "Neighborhood plays a huge role in social mobility, they find — around half the size of the role that parental income itself plays. Moving a child from a neighborhood in the bottom 25 percent of the income distribution to the top 25 percent, they found, yields hundreds of thousands of dollars in lifetime earnings. The statistics rate goes to show that neighborhoods do have an impact on the individual whether you are a child, teenager or adult and it does affect how the individuals will intake in the neighborhood