Abstract
Childhood poverty affects one in five children in the United States. Living in poverty is more than simply not having money. It relegates children and families to a life of stressors ranging from food insecurity to transient living in which there is frequent moving from one neighborhood to the next. Additionally, violence, family turmoil, homelessness, separation, noise, and crowding often accompany poverty. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the world of poverty through the lens of children and how poverty impacts a child’s health and social-emotional development, therefore hindering academic success. It looks at basic expectations for a safe, secure childhood and these missing elements in the world of the impoverished. It further provides strategies and programs to address breaking the cycle of poverty and balancing the scales for children whose basic necessities are absent.
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Levin, J.N. (2018). When the Basic Necessities of Life Are Missing: The Impact of Poverty on Children. In: Szente, J. (eds) Assisting Young Children Caught in Disasters . Educating the Young Child, vol 13. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62887-5_9
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