Effects of Socioeconomic Status and Ethnicity on a Child

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The socioeconomic status of a family and their ethnicity has a substantial effect on their child’s early learning and determines how much their child will accomplish through life. Life events from before birth to three years old will have significant impact on brain development (Nelson, 1999). Socioeconomic status limits how much a family could provide to aid a child’s development. Middle-class families can better prepare their children with opportunities for success than families with low household income. Families with low household income will be reluctant to spend money on daycare because they have other priorities. Credentialed daycare providers increase children’s cognitive and critical thinking skills (Barnett & Belfield, 2006). The long-term effects of daycare centers and preschool programs include improving students’ high school graduation rates by 15-20% and decrease the likelihood of drug abuse (Barnett & Belfield, 2006). However, class is not the only factor that affects early child development; the other factor is ethnicity of the family members. Even if families can afford daycares, their children are treated with subtle difference based on their ethnicity. Children learn from everything they see from the moment they are born, and the subtle differences in treatment affect their social behaviors.
In the early years, brain develops essential pieces required for children to become active members of society. Families of low socioeconomic status are less educated; they are not prepared to stimulate their child’s brain (Barnett & Belfield, 2006). Some families are unable to provide proper daycare for their children due to financial hardships. Some parents are not aware that they have the largest role in their child’s dev...

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...intain the stance that SES and ethnic background affect academic success by focusing on GPA of the students; however, some studies focuses on the relationship between students’ family SES and the students’ academic achievement in math and science. There are also studies focuses on how students’ ethnicity affects academic performance in math and science. Researchers have neglected academic achievement of other subjects taught in schools. Studies have shown students from low SES family have poor early learning and stunted cognitive development due to limited economic resources. The majority of past studies on SES and ethnic background focused on the disparity between ethnicities in the subject of math and science. This study will establish the relationship between socioeconomic status, ethnicity and academic achievements of a senior in high school across all subjects.

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