Children in jeopardy : can we break the cycle of poverty?

American children are in crisis. Inner cities are filled with violence and massive drug problems; families are dysfunctional; illiteracy is rising; society's efforts to combat educational failure, poverty, crime, and disease have created an enormous economic debt for the future. In this compassionate and controversial book Irving Harris argues that the key to breaking the cycle of poverty, hopelessness, and violence is very early intervention: we must provide adequate caregiving to children from birth to age three and - to stop the cycle even sooner - we must discourage pregnancy among adolescents. Harris, a successful businessman, has devoted himself to children's causes for the past forty years and has initiated and funded numerous programs geared to children and families. He presents data from research in pediatrics, social work, nursing psychology, and education showing that children who receive early nurturing and stimulation are far more likely to have success in school and in life. He urges that the government build more day-care centers and train more caregivers and public-health nurses for babies and small children; that schools offer instruction and counseling in prenatal care; and that there be easier access to contraceptives and abortions in order to reduce unwanted pregnancies. In this compassionate and controversial book Irving Harris argues that the key to breaking the cycle of poverty, hopelessness, and violence is very early intervention: we must provide adequate caregiving to children from birth to age three and - to stop the cycle even sooner - we must discourage pregnancy among adolescents. Harris, a successful businessman, has devoted himself to children's causes for the past forty years and has initiated and funded numerous programs geared to children and families. He presents data from research in pediatrics, social work, nursing, psychology, and education showing that children who receive early nurturing and stimulation are far more likely to have success in school and in life. He urges that the government build more day-care centers and train more caregivers and public-health nurses for babies and small children; that schools offer instruction and counseling in prenatal care; and that there be easier access to contraceptives and abortions in order to reduced unwanted pregnancies CONTENTS 7 FOREWORD 11 PREFACE 15 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 18 ABBREVIATIONS 30 INTRODUCTION: AN ODYSSEY OF LEARNING 33 1. Raised in Jeopardy 49 2. Successful Intervention and Its Limits 69 3. Primary Prevention and the Right to Life 108 4. The Cost of Failure 137 5. The Abortion Question 152 6. The Cycle of Poverty and Violence: A Reassessment 178 7. Trends in Education, Poverty, Violence, and Punishment 198 8. Breaking the Cycle: A New War on Poverty, 1996 226 APPENDIX A: Agencies Working for Families and Children 239 APPENDIX B: The Ounce of Prevention Center for Successful Child Development Health Services: A Model 242 NOTES 244 REFERENCES 247 INDEX 255