Child Poverty: An Unseen Crisis in the United States

Introduction In the United States, the phenomenon of child poverty has reached unprecedented levels in only the last couple of years. Poverty is known as a state of deprivation and a lack of monetary income or material possessions. The level of poverty is most often gauged by the poverty threshold, which is set by the United States Census Bureau. Children in impoverished families have access to fewer material goods compared to their counterparts in middle-class or high income families and are at a greater risk for developing mental health and behavioral problems. Children being born into poverty exacerbates their chances of growing up as impoverished adults. The public concern for children in poverty highlights their material well-being,

The social safety net does a far better job of catering to the elderly than children, reflecting the political muscle of elderly Americans. The Southern states consistently rank among the worst in child poverty. Despite some educational and health care reforms being enacted in several states, the future for children in poverty still doesn’t yield much optimism, especially in the south. In North Carolina, the poverty ranking fell from 34th to 35th as reported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in the KIDS COUNT Data Book (Sturgis, 2013). The KIDS COUNT is a project orchestrated by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which tracks the overall wellbeing of children in The United States. By providing data like the KIDS COUNT Data Book, the Foundation seeks to enrich the lives of children who are in

Numerous studies have demonstrated that children in poverty have a higher mortality rate than their counterparts who are at a socioeconomic advantage. According to Gateway Pediatrics, national surveys often report impoverished parents often report their children’s health as being “poor” and “fair” compared to more affluent parents who often report their child’s health as being “excellent” (Wood, 2003). Wood states that children that come from low-income families have “higher rates of hospital admissions, disability days, and death rates” (2003). Impoverished families frequently lack access to basic affordable health care and are affected more commonly by single-parent families and poor nutritional health habits. Poor housing also plays a factor in subpar health conditions among children in poverty. As reported by the Nutrition Examination Survey, impoverished children have a statically greater chance of being exposed to toxic elements such a lead. Approximately four to five million children reside in housing that contains levels of lead, which is well above the threshold for safety. The surveys highlights that more than a million of these children who are younger than 6 years of age have elevated lead levels in their blood (Wood,