Getting to Know Your International Contacts

             I decided to follow the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) and have contacted via email Sheila Smith, PH.D, director of Early Childhood. I have not yet received a response from her, so I researched some of her work. Thus far, she has written 10 publications; one in particular is Young Children at Risk. According to this publication, poverty is a risk factor that contributes to academic failure and poor health in young children living in America and across the nation. Smith reports children as early as 24 months, lag in cognitive and behavioral development compared to their peers in higher-income families. Smith also reveals other issues linked to poverty such as: economic hardship, low-parent education, and single-parent homes.

What I have gleaned so far, is that government, educational professionals, employers, and parents are aware of the problem and the solutions that will help solve them. The challenge is the process of making the solutions a reality. Economic hardship is a result of low-wages and unstable employment; solution, increased pay and job security. What obstacles prevent this from happening? There are many variables, for instance: employers unable to increase wages, parents unable to afford steady childcare or struggle with transportation to get back and forth to work. Low-parent education hinders an individuals’ chance of acquiring a high-paying position. The solution is simple-seek higher education, however, for many parents this solution is easier said than done especially for a parent already living in poverty.

In the single-parent home, one pay check is not enough and getting two jobs creates other issues such as less time spent with children, unable to attend school functions, or prepare decent meals at home. Many times this family will spend more money eating out. Knowing the problems and solutions, has led NCCP to develop specific projects to bring change to poverty-stricken families. A few of these projects include promoting paid family leave, improving the odds for children; and community connections.