What Makes a Child Disadvantaged

What Makes a Child Disadvantaged

Disadvantaged children tend to be slightly ignored when one thinks of education.

However, they are individuals just like any other child and they should be given the same opportunities that all children have. Poverty is a huge problem in many areas of the world. MacQueen states “poverty puts children behind from birth, and keeps them behind for life (2003).” If a child is in a household with little money, they may lack “the stable home in a safe neighbourhood, adequate nutrition, and the kind of involved parenting” that would be influential on the correct and desired development of the young child (MacQueen, 2003).

Children with handicaps, whether they are physical or mental, also fit into the category of disadvantaged children. These children do not, and will never, have the same opportunities as children who are so-called ‘normal.’ However, early childhood education programs “can effectively raise the intelligence of disadvantaged children, guide them toward better social adjustment and help them learn more in school” (Unknown, 1977, par. 1). Therefore, even if a student does experience a handicap, they may have a better chance at doing well in school and when they enter into a real societal working atmosphere.

Effects of Ea rly Childhood Education Programs

There is a great need for early childhood education programs in general; however, it is especially necessary to start learning as young as possible for disadvantaged children.

If, when born into a society like the one in which we live, a child has an automatic disadvantage then he needs to get started on social and other kinds of learning, so he can have a better chance at becoming an effective part of society. Some may beli...

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28. This article is explaining that programs such as Head Start can help in the correct and beneficial development of disadvantaged children and can give considerable benefits economically for society.

29. Unknown. (December 1980). Big Payoffs from Early Education. Science News, Volume 118 (25/26), pp. 390. Retrieved February 25, 2004 from Academic Search/EBSCO.

30. This article explains the Ypsilanti Perry Preschool Project and its evidence that children in early childhood programs outperform those who have never been enrolled in such programs.

31. Unknown. (2004). Everyday Learning. Scholastic Parent and Child, Volume 11 (5). pp. 12. Retrieved on April 25, 2004 from Academic Search/EBSCO.

32. This very short, to the point article, explains that play, especially with parents, can help all children to become more educated and self-aware.