6 Life-Long Consequences of Living in Poverty as a Child
All children deserve to live from their true essence of joy, love, and creativity. It is critical that a child has their basic needs met in order to have healthy development and thrive. Unfortunately many factors can stand in the way of this - one of the most influential being living in poverty. According to Denver Children’s Affairs,
“The consequences of living in poverty as children often have life-long ramifications. Poverty can impact children in a number of ways. These include:
Low educational attainment of parents: Parents without a high school diploma or more likely to live in poverty and may speak fewer words and read less to their young children resulting in a 12 to 14 month delay in language and school readiness skills;
Less time for children to spend with their parents: Low-income parents often need to spend more time away from their children balancing more than one job, time in transit, and acquiring housing and public assistance;
Unhealthy physical environment: Children living in low-income homes may be exposed to unhealthy living environments, such as mold or lead, and have fewer screenings for vision or hearing problems;
Inflexible work schedule: Parents in low wage jobs often do not have paid sick leave resulting in their children attending school while sick or unable to see a doctor during parental work hours;
Lack of diverse and enriching early learning experiences: Children in low-income families are less likely to participate in play groups or formal early childhood activities that can enrich their early learning experiences; and
Mental health of parents: One in four low-income women experience major depression that can impact the healthy development of their children.”
The United States Health and Human Services identifies 2019 Poverty Guidelines in the chart below:
According to the Colorado State Demography Office in 2016 19.6% of children under the age of 18 were living in poverty in Denver. The truth is, these families and children living in poverty are living in your Denver neighborhoods, regardless of where you live - they are your neighbors. Below represents poverty in children by Denver’s neighborhoods
RMA is committed to continuously bringing awareness to Denver County demographics and taking action in making changes in children’s lives today. Will you join us on our mission?
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