Identifying factors related to poverty that affect infants, toddlers, and their families, this book describes promising early child care and intervention practices specifically tailored to these children and families' needs. Leading authorities from multiple disciplines present cutting-edge research and discuss the implications for practice and policy. Contributors review salient findings on attention, memory, language, self-regulation, attachment, physical health, family processes, and culture. The book considers the strengths and limitations of existing early intervention services for diverse populations and explores workable ways to improve them.
The strengths and abilities children develop from infancy through adolescence are crucial for their physical, emotional, and cognitive growth, which in turn help them to achieve success in school and to become responsible, economically self-sufficient, and healthy adults. Capable, responsible, and healthy adults are clearly the foundation of a well-functioning and prosperous society, yet America's future is not as secure as it could be because millions of American children live in families with incomes below the poverty line. A wealth of evidence suggests that a lack of adequate economic resources for families with children compromises these children's ability to grow and achieve adult success, hurting them and the broader society. A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty reviews the research on linkages between child poverty and child well-being, and analyzes the poverty-reducing effects of major assistance programs directed at children and families. This report also provides policy and program recommendations for reducing the number of children living in poverty in the United States by half within 10 years.
"In Fostering Resilience and Well-being in Children and Families in Poverty, Dr. Valerie Maholmes sheds light on the mechanisms and processes that enable children and families to manage and overcome adversity"--
One in five American children now live in families with incomes below the povertyline, and their prospects are not bright. Low income is statistically linked with a variety of poor outcomes for children, from low birth weight and poor nutrition in infancy to increased chances of academic failure, emotional distress, and unwed childbirth in adolescence. To address these problems it is not enough to know that money makes a difference; we need to understand how. Consequences of Growing Up Poor is an extensive and illuminating examination of the paths through which economic deprivation damages children at all stages of their development. In Consequences of Growing Up Poor, developmental psychologists, economists, and sociologists revisit a large body of studies to answer specific questions about how low income puts children at risk intellectually, emotionally, and physically. Many of their investigations demonstrate that although income clearly creates disadvantages, it does so selectively and in a wide variety of ways. Low-income preschoolers exhibit poorer cognitive and verbal skills because they are generally exposed to fewer toys, books, and other stimulating experiences in the home. Poor parents also tend to rely on home-based child care, where the quality and amount of attention children receive is inferior to that of professional facilities. In later years, conflict between economically stressed parents increases anxiety and weakens self-esteem in their teenaged children. Although they share economic hardships, the home lives of poor children are not homogenous. Consequences of Growing Up Poor investigates whether such family conditions as the marital status, education, and involvement of parents mitigate the ill effects of poverty. Consequences of Growing Up Poor also looks at the importance of timing: Does being poor have a different impact on preschoolers, children, and adolescents? When are children most vulnerable to poverty? Some contributors find that poverty in the prenatal or early childhood years appears to be particularly detrimental to cognitive development and physical health. Others offer evidence that lower income has a stronger negative effect during adolescence than in childhood or adulthood. Based on their findings, the editors and contributors to Consequences of Growing Up Poor recommend more sharply focused child welfare policies targeted to specific eras and conditions of poor children's lives. They also weigh the relative need for income supplements, child care subsidies, and home interventions. Consequences of Growing Up Poor describes the extent and causes of hardships for poor children, defines the interaction between income and family, and offers solutions to improve young lives. JEANNE BROOKS-GUNN is Virginia and Leonard Marx Professor of Child Development at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is also director of the Center for Young Children and Families, and co-directs the Adolescent Study Program at Teachers College.
This monograph covers the Family Life Project studying a representative sample of every baby born to a mother who resided in one of six poor rural counties over a one year period, oversampling for poverty and African American. 1,292 children were followed from birth to 36 months of age. This study examines the relation between social risk and children's executive functioning, language development, and behavioral competence at 36 months.
Today there are nearly six million children under the age of 5 living in poverty in the world's richest country. Behind from the Start examines what lies behind the stubbornly high rate of poverty among young children in the U.S. and its consequences. It explains the multiple ways in which early-life poverty robs millions of children of a promising future, and calls for dramatic changes in how we approach this problem.
Provides information on the number and characteristics of infants and toddlers in the Head Start Program. Analyzes 1980 and 1990 decennial census data to provide information on the demographic and economic characteristics of the infant and toddler population. Describes the eligibility criteria of major childhood programs and the percentage of the infant and toddler population served by them. 40 charts, tables and graphs.
Organized around time, the Third Edition of Dimensions of Human Behavior: The Changing Life Course helps students understand the relationship between time and human behavior. Using a life course perspective, author Elizabeth D. Hutchison shows how the multiple dimensions of person and environment work together with dimensions of time to produce patterns in unique life course journeys. The Third Edition is updated and revised to respond to the rapidity of changes in complex societies. New to the Third Edition Examines our increasing global interdependence: The human life course is placed in global context. Recognizes scientific advancements: Advances in neuroscience have been incorporated throughout the chapters. Emphasizes group-based diversity: More content has been added on the effects of gender, race, ethnicity, social class, sexual orientation, and disability on life course trajectories. Reorganizes family dynamics: Greater attention has been given to the role of fathers. Reflects contemporary issues: New case studies, exhibits, and Web resources have been added to provide the most up-to-date information.
