Equal opportunity is critical in addressing poverty

To The Daily Sun,

Emily Campbell, a child psychologist, says that poverty rates in children rank the second-highest in the United States when compared to 15 other well-off countries, such as the U.K, France, and Spain. This issue has heavily contributed to the idea of generational poverty, meaning children who were raised in the poorest households tend to live in the same financial situation as their parents.

In general, children who live in poverty face many lasting effects. It can be a predictor for many physical and mental illnesses throughout the course of one’s life. Not only does poverty affect individuals and families, but it also affects the neighborhoods and communities that have concentrated rates of poverty. According to psychologist Cathrine Santiago, 20-50% of children living in poverty have experienced violence in the home, school, or community. The likelihood of being exposed to trauma is paired with an increased risk of PTSD, anxiety disorders, and depression. In addition to this array of mental illness due to stress-related poverty, impoverished children have less opportunity, less access to quality education, and often little cognitive stimulation.

The way we can even attempt to solve this worldwide issue is awareness and prevention education. Children need structure and support that they lack in the family unit in order to escape the throes of intergenerational poverty. We can provide that through schools and better school funding, especially for schools in low-income areas. Giving children an equal opportunity regardless of the financial situations they face at home is key to decreasing our poverty rates.

With school budgeting coming up, keep this in mind when thinking about what really helps children succeed in their future.

Haley Thomas

Meredith