Childhood Poverty Essay Sample

Inequality starts at birth, but poverty attacks and affects children before they’re even born. Any developmental gaps that appear in early childhood grow wider if left unaddressed. Children who lag in learning, knowledge, and socio-emotional development find it increasingly difficult to catch up. Any lack of early childhood development can close doors later in life, trapping them in a life without resources, support, opportunity, and hope for improvement or change. Growing up in poverty increases the physical and emotional stress in a child’s life. The lack of economic resources within a family increases a child’s vulnerability to exploitation, including child labor and trafficking. Poor children also experience a disproportionate amount of neglect and social deprivation thanks to poverty. They are less likely to feel valued and loved. They often have lowered self-esteem, less self-confidence, and greater incidences of mental health problems. They feel unsafe, marginalized, exceedingly vulnerable, and constantly threatened. 

Children living in poverty are also more likely to be exposed to environmental toxins and other hazards, including crime and violence. Consider growing up in a slum without proper sanitation and clean water, where alcoholism, gang violence, and drugs are prevalent. Breaking the cycle of deprivation, desperation and hopelessness offers poor children positive opportunities for growth. The mental health needs of children in poverty shorten their life expectancy and impair them as adults. 

Poverty amplifies the difficulties, challenges, stress, and trauma directed against babies, young children, and adolescents. When it comes to education, poverty creates and widens achievement gaps. Poor children are disproportionately less likely to attend school than their peers. Poverty takes away quality opportunities It limits future potential. It prevents children from dreaming and hoping for a better life, trapping them in a life of misery. And the trap can extend to their children and last generations more. Children living in poverty are more likely to feel their lives are out of control and to have poor emotional and behavioral self-control. They are at a higher risk for behavior issues and conduct disorders. Poor children experience higher levels of anxiety and depression and often develop a sense of helplessness. 

Poverty in childhood can have life-long consequences, with the poorest children less likely to access health care or complete their education. Ending child poverty is not only right, it is smart and cost-effective. Protecting children against the lifelong consequences of poverty will benefit all of us. It will improve children’s life outcomes and reduce child poverty in future generations. It will build a stronger economy, healthier workforce, and larger tax base. 

Most importantly, lifting millions of children out of poverty now would allow them to thrive. There is no excuse for inaction. Every community and individual concerned about our children's future must stand up and call for steps to end child poverty now. Children facing hunger, homelessness, and hopelessness cannot wait another decade for our nation to help them. We can and must get started immediately.