Running Head: LOW INCOME CHILDREN

Low Income Children

Morgan Howe
Ferris State University

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Low Income Children

Children who live in poverty or low income are at a serious disadvantage. The U.S.
Department of Health & Human Services (2014) lists the federal poverty level for a family of
three as an annual income of $19,790. The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP)
states that a family of four meets the poverty level with an income of $23,550. This puts 16
million children below the federal poverty level. Children represent 24 percent of the population
and 22 percent of them are living in poverty. The majority of these children are black, Hispanic
or American Indian (Addy, Engelhardt, Skinner, 2013).
Living in poverty can be detrimental to children. It affects how well they perform in
school and can further their issues behaviorally, emotionally, and socially. Poverty also has a
negative effect on a childs physical and mental health. The greatest risk to a childs welfare is
poverty (NCCP, 2014a).
Causative Factors
Parental Employment
Parental employment is a major cause of children living in a low income setting. Children
are dependent on their parents to provide for them not only emotionally, but financially as well.
The percentage of children who live with at least one parent who works full time, all year is 30.
There are 6.5 million children with unemployed parents living in low income families. More
often than not there is at least one parent in the home who works, but low wages and
employment instability cause it to be difficult to make ends meet (NCCP, 2014a).
The amount of education the parents have is another factor for children living in low
income settings. Children with parents who did not complete high school comprise 86 percent of
the low income child population. The more education the parents attain, the less likely they are to

Low Income Children

live in poverty; thus their children will be less likely to grow up in low income families (Addy,
Engelhardt, Skinner, 2012).
Personal Awareness
I was aware that the amount of people living in poverty was high, but I had not really
thought about the children specifically. The numbers are staggering. I have seen children of
families that are living on a low income; my sister is one of those families. It breaks my heart to
see these kids wearing dirty clothes that are too small. I catch myself being angry at their parents
for not doing more to change the situation. I often think they could go to school to get a better
job or at the very least make sure their children have food to eat. I have found myself annoyed by
parents who complain about the system because I think sometimes they are not trying hard
enough to improve their situation.
Demographics
The national rate of children living below poverty is 42 percent. The state of Michigan
has a higher rate of children living in low income families. Low income is considered below 200
percent of the poverty level. In 2009, Michigans low income children was 44 percent (Michigan
Department of Community Health, 2012). County specific percentage for Gratiot County was
25.6 (Mid-Michigan Department of Health, 2012).
Public Policy Regarding Care
Changing public policy is the only way to improve outcomes for low income children and
their families. Policy changes need to be made to ensure that parents that work full time year
round are able to provide for their families. Other policies to provide quality care and learning
opportunities for the children of low income families would be beneficial (NCCP, 2014b).

Low Income Children

Michigan has a few policies that are aimed to specifically help low income families. In
Michigan a single parent family of three that are below the poverty line are exempt from
personal income tax and the state offers a refundable earned income tax credit (NCCP, 2014b).
Self-reflection/Conclusion
Before I did research on low income children I placed the majority of the blame on the
parents. I still think that the parents could do more to improve their situation. I now believe that
improving public policies such as making a livable wage will enable the parents to help
themselves. To reduce the risk to a childs development as well as other negative impacts poverty
can have on children state policies need to address their health, development, education and
support for parenting and economic security (Robbins, Stagman, Smith, 2012). The rate of
children living in low income families is high and needs to be addressed.

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References

Addy, S., Engelhardt, W., Skinner, C.(2013). Basic facts about low-income children: Children
under 18, 2011. Retrieved from http://nccp.org/publications/pub_1074.html
Michigan Department of Community Health. (2012). Critical health indicator report 2012 ed.
Retrieved from http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdch/Poverty_380428_7.pdf
Mid-Michigan Department of Health, 2012). Live well gratiot county 2012. Retrieved from
http://www.mmdhd.org/cha/gratiot/Gratiot_Count_Profile.pdf.
National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP). (2014a). Child poverty. Retrieved from
http://nccp.org/topics/childpoverty.html
National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP). (2014b). Michigan early childhood profile.
Retrieved from http://www.nccp.org/profiles/pdf/profile_early_childhood_MI.pdf
Robbins, T., Stagman, S., Smith, S.(2012). Young children at risk. Retrieved from
http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_1073.html
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2014). 2014 poverty guidelines. Retrieved from
http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/14poverty.cfm