Poverty and The Effects on Children and Parents (page 2) Effects
on Children For children of all ages, poverty has some
devastating effects. Poor children are two times more likely
than nonpoor children to have stunted growth, iron deficiency,
and severe asthma. A government study in 1996 showed that
poverty placed children at greater risk of dying before their
first birthdays than did a mother's smoking during pregnancy.
Another study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education
found that for every year a child spends in poverty, there is
the chance that the child will fall behind grade level by age
18. In the 1994 book, Wasting America's Future, the Children's
Defense Fund estimates that every year of child poverty at
current levels will cost the nation at least $36 billion in lost
future productivity alone, because poor children will be less
educated and less effective workers. For parents struggling to
raise a child, poverty adds extensive stress to the family.
McLoyd (1990) states that economic hardshi