3.1.9 Early Education and Support for Children in Poverty
Another set of needs of young children entering school are created by poverty. The Sparrow Lake Alliance in Ontario (1996) has summarized the literature on how to build resilience among disadvantaged populations. Children living in poverty show almost 3.5 times the number of conduct disorders, almost twice the chronic illnesses and twice the rate of school problems, hyperactivity and emotional disorders as children who are not poor. The National Institute of Nutrition (1991) has noted that Canadian children live in poverty often suffer from iron deficiencies which lead to difficulties in cognitive development.
The Canadian School Boards Association (1998) has described how poverty can affect learning. Children living in poverty are at great risk of not being able to benefit from formal learning programs in the early years. There are many children in Canada living in poverty, one out of every four. Campaign 2000 in its Report Card 1997 noted the following:
* - since 1989 the number of poor children has worsened by 58%;
* - since 1989 children in families experiencing long-term unemployment is worse by 47%;
* - since 1989 children in working-poor families have increased by 43%.
In Students in Poverty: Toward Awareness, Action, and Wider Knowledge (1997), the Canadian School Boards Association emphasized that poverty had strong adverse effects on educational outcomes. The negative influences on education, summarized by the Canadian Teachers' Federation (Hess, 1989), included the following:
* - food deprivation, which influences daily concentration and learning;
* - inadequate nutrition, which can affect long-term development;
* - inadequate adult supervision and child-care arrangements, which limit learning;
* - less stimulation, resulting in less motivation to learn, and delayed cognitive development
* - difficult behaviour
* - low self-esteem
* - illiteracy and lower achievement
* - interrupted school attendance and dropping out of high school
* - lower university attendance.
Preschool education is now widely seen as a strategy that schools can use to combat the effects of poverty (Levin & Riffel, 1997). Preschool education has been demonstrated to be cost effective financially and socially. Thus the recent report Literacy Skills for the Knowledge Society, published by Human Resources Development Canada, Minister of Industry, Canada, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 1997, called for the universal establishment of preschool programs. Flexibility, planning, and cooperation among agencies will be needed to ensure that community-based services are in place for children from birth to age 6. A variety of agencies and means of delivering services to families with preschool children suited to the particular community are needed to ensure the best development for young children.
Renchler (1993) has also described the links between poverty and learning. Low level incomes or persistent poverty have been correlated with lower IQ, authoritarian views among parents, poor influences on reading, non-supportive attitudes and beliefs among parents. The ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education (1994) focused more specifically on the impact of poor nutrition on learning. Iron deficiencies were particularly harmful to young children learning.
Schweinhart (1997) has suggested that teachers' choices of methodologies may also present problems with poor children. Classrooms that were based primarily on child initiated activities were more appropriate for very young students but those living in poverty had difficulties. The direct instruction approach seemed to benefit poor students more, particularly in the short term, unless a highly planned program, such as High Scope, was used.
Ceasarone (1993) has summarized the impact of poverty on early childhood education from a policy perspective, summarizing the programs and results in the United States. Nutrition programs have been found to be effective fir young children as they start school.
For more on school readiness go to:
3.1.1 Kindergarten
3.1.2 Instruction
3.1.3 Curriculum / Learning Outcomes
3.1.4 Student Assessment
3.1.5 School Social Climate
3.1.6 School Physical Environment
3.1.7 Involving Parents
3.1.8 Early Prevention
3.1.9 Poverty
3.1.10 Special Needs
3.1.11 Support from School District, Ministry and Other Agencies
3.1.12 Monitoring Progress
3.2 Conditions for School Readiness Success
3.3 The Role of the School Principal
Go back to the Introduction for more on home, agency and community readiness.
See also:
* - Preparation for Learning: PreSchool (CSBA Paper to CMEC Forum)
* - Poverty and Learning (ERIC Digest)
* - Children's Learning and Nutrition (ERIC Digest)
* - Child Initiated Learning Activities for Children Living in Poverty (ERIC Digest)
* - Health Care, Nutrition and Goal One (ERIC Digest)