Families Living in Poverty

Diverse Family Mini-Project

Mary Kaish

Poverty in the United States

• More than 16 million children in the U.S. are part of a family living below the poverty level

• The current poverty level is determined as a family that has an income less than $24,000 a year

• To cover basic expenses, a family needs about twice this much income

• The majority of families living in poverty are African American, Latino and American Indian

Poverty in the United States

Most poverty seen in the Southern

United States

Poverty and Children

• Children who experience poverty at a young age or throughout their childhood are most affected

• Research shows that poverty is the single biggest threat to a child’s well being

Poverty impacts children’s…• Ability to learn

• Social interactions• Behavior problems• Emotional state• Physical health• Mental health

Facts about Poverty

• Children in poverty have the most absenteeism in school because they are taking care of others in their family or have to work

• Children in poverty are 1.3 times more likely to have learning disabilities than other children

• By the end of 4th grade, children living in poverty are two years behind grade level

• Children in poverty are often ridiculed by their friends because they are not able to keep up financially (examples: fashionable clothes, birthday parties, going out to eat)

Stereotypes associated with Poverty

People think…

• These families are lazy and unmotivated

• Parents are uninvolved in children’s education

• Those in poverty abuse drugs and alcohol

• Poverty is ignorance

However…

• Most families in poverty have at least one working parent

• Parents often work long hours and use public transits therefore are not able to attend school functions/meetings

• People in poverty are just as likely to abuse drugs/alcohol as any other group of people

• Those in poverty want to meet your high expectations

Students living in Poverty

What teachers should know…

• Children in poverty usually have a poor support system at home

• The rules at these students’ houses are often different than normal home and school rules

• These students have not had many life experiences to relate their learning to

What we can do to help…

• Offer after school programs in order for students to complete homework

• Explain to students social norms and cues so that they know what is appropriate

• Spend extra time with these children and show them such experiences on the computer, videos, etc.

The Gift of Education

• “Educators can be a huge gift to students living in poverty. In many instances, education is the tool that gives a child life choices. A teacher or administrator who establishes mutual respect, cares enough to make sure a student knows how to survive school, and gives that student the necessary skills is providing a gift that will keep affecting lives from one generation to the next. Never has it been more important to give students living in poverty this gift.”

-Ruby Payne

References

• http://www.nccp.org

• http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/apr08/vol65/num07/The-Myth-of-the-Culture-of-Poverty.aspx

• http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-education-and-poverty-america

• http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/apr08/vol65/num07/Nine-Powerful-Practices.aspx

• http://teaching.monster.com/counselors/articles/8164-what-you-can-do-for-students-living-in-poverty