Poverty and Children in the United States

Running Head : POVERTY AND CHILDREN IN THE UNITED STATES

Poverty and Children in the United States

[The Writer 's Name]

[The Name of the Institution] Poverty and Children in the United States

Poverty can be hard to describe at times especially when involving children . Last year , 35 .9 million Americans - including 13 million children - lived in poverty (de Leon , 2004 . There is no need for these kinds of rates , especially when it comes to our children . Children in poverty are issues that cannot be ignored in today 's society . Over coming

child poverty would take enormous energy and strength from everyone in the United States . While we are the richest country , we rank highest in child poverty rates among rich nations (Bezruchka 2007 . The thing that most people overlook is the insufficient nutrition along with unemployment and housing that is overcrowded . Some people like to believe that these children do not exist and everyone is happy and carefree . When in most cases there could be a child living in poverty next door

There are many low-income people in the United States a huge number of them are children . In 2003 , the government classified 35 .9 million men , women , and children - 12 .5 percent of the U .S . population - as poor (Macionis , 2006 . A person being poor is another word for a person being in poverty . Poverty can be defined in many ways , for example , inadequate income can make a family be below the poverty line The home environment can also add to the poverty issue because , most homes that look in disrepair mean that the family living inside might not have the income to fix things . When a family is in the poverty zone they feel bad and inadequate which can make them unwilling to ask for help . This can be harmful to the children because they do not have a say when the adults need help

A child in poorer family can also have poor health due to inadequate healthcare and routine visits . Lower income families try to buy enough food for everyone but , this does not always carry the vitamins and nutrients a growing child needs . The nutritious and healthy food is not always low cost and can be hard for a low-income family to afford . A number of nutritious meals takes time to prepare and when guardians work all day they probably do not feel like or have time to cook a full course meal . For example , a single mother works in a pizza parlor to support her children , every night the owner lets her take a free pizza home , this is good to eat but does not supply the every day nutrients a child needs . A child who does not get adequate nutrition can suffer academically

Children who live in poverty endure hardships in academics , social problems and sometimes physical problems . Children who live in low-income homes are more likely to have problems in school , making friends and staying healthy . When children from lower income families...