Children born poor in the United States found negatively impacted in the United States

 

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Carol Forsloff - A recent study finds that those born into poverty in the United States have a high likelihood of remaining poor much of their childhood.

Americans have grown up to believe that folks can climb the ladder of success no matter what, no matter how poor and realize the American dream.  But current research reveals that's a hard call for lots of folks during those early years.  Escaping poverty is something that is very difficult.

49 percent of American babies born into poor families will stay poor at least half their childhoods; those who aren't born poor only have a 4% percent chance of becoming poor.

Persistent childhood poverty also increases problems into young adulthood.

"Fallout from persistent childhood poverty is evident during young adulthood, "says Caroline Ratcliffe and Signe-Mary McKernan.  Their report is called "Childhood Poverty Persistence: Facts and Consequences."  It is the first study that conects poverty status at birth and the persistence of it into adulthood.

The report tells us those who are poor at birth are more likely to be poor between ages 25 and 30, drop out of high school, become pregnant during teen years,  and have unstable employment backgrounds..

 

The figures are dramatic, both on the matters of poverty and race.  The study finds while 4 percent of individuals in nonpoor families at birth continue to spend at least half their early adult years in poverty, the percentage jumps to 21 percent for individuals who are born poor. The difference for blacks is 24 percentage points; for whites, it is almost zero.

The takeaway is the longer a child is poor the worse will be the outcome for that child and the longer the poverty persists the worse it becomes for life.

14.1 million Americans under age 18 are estimated to be poor.  4.2 million children are born annually.

“Because poverty status at birth is linked to worse adult outcomes, targeting resources to children born into poverty and their families would help particularly vulnerable people,” Ratcliffe and McKernan maintain, pointing to the value of education, training and work supports for parents and interaction with families to improve family functioning and the home environment.  This is a different conclusion than one advanced by some politicians.

Childhood poverty rates, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, have ranged between 15 and 23 percent over the past four decades. In 2009, a family with two adults and two children was considered poor if its income was below $21,756.