In this post, I would like to share some important information from the Children’s Defense Fund, a preeminent child advocacy organization (source link) https://www.childrensdefense.org/policy/policy-priorities/education/

“Children in poor families and children of color often begin school behind their peers as they are more likely to lack access to high quality early development and learning opportunities. Recent data shows the majority of public school students cannot read or compute at grade level, and poor and low-income children and children of color are particularly behind. Hostile school environments and exclusionary discipline policies disproportionately deny children of color and children with disabilities opportunities for success and contribute to their risk of entering the school-to-prison pipeline.”

The incredible impact of poverty and instability on children’s education cannot be overstated. I am pleased to share the work of this organization in highlighting the barriers and potential solutions.  Some of the solutions proposed include early childhood educational opportunities being more readily available.

I would also propose that the struggling parents of impoverished children are often resilient but also desperately need support overcoming barriers in their own lives that limit their ability to fully support and advocate for their children.  They often lack resources, information and the social networks that may be necessary. Enabling parents to be stable in their own lives (economically, socially and psychologically) ultimately contributes to the well-being of their children. Let us consider how to support families as a whole, and witness how it ripples into the community’s well-being.

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