Saving Our Children From Poverty : What the United States Can Learn From France

One in five American children now live in families with incomes below the povertyline, and their prospects are not bright. Low income is statistically linked with a variety of poor outcomes for children, from low birth weight and poor nutrition in infancy to increased chances of academic failure, emotional distress, and unwed childbirth in adolescence. To address these problems it is not enough to know that money makes a difference; we need to understand how. Consequences of Growing Up Poor is an extensive and illuminating examination of the paths through which economic deprivation damages children at all stages of their development. In Consequences of Growing Up Poor, developmental psychologists, economists, and sociologists revisit a large body of studies to answer specific questions about how low income puts children at risk intellectually, emotionally, and physically. Many of their investigations demonstrate that although income clearly creates disadvantages, it does so selectively and in a wide variety of ways. Low-income preschoolers exhibit poorer cognitive and verbal skills because they are generally exposed to fewer toys, books, and other stimulating experiences in the home. Poor parents also tend to rely on home-based child care, where the quality and amount of attention children receive is inferior to that of professional facilities. In later years, conflict between economically stressed parents increases anxiety and weakens self-esteem in their teenaged children. Although they share economic hardships, the home lives of poor children are not homogenous. Consequences of Growing Up Poor investigates whether such family conditions as the marital status, education, and involvement of parents mitigate the ill effects of poverty. Consequences of Growing Up Poor also looks at the importance of timing: Does being poor have a different impact on preschoolers, children, and adolescents? When are children most vulnerable to poverty? Some contributors find that poverty in the prenatal or early childhood years appears to be particularly detrimental to cognitive development and physical health. Others offer evidence that lower income has a stronger negative effect during adolescence than in childhood or adulthood. Based on their findings, the editors and contributors to Consequences of Growing Up Poor recommend more sharply focused child welfare policies targeted to specific eras and conditions of poor children's lives. They also weigh the relative need for income supplements, child care subsidies, and home interventions. Consequences of Growing Up Poor describes the extent and causes of hardships for poor children, defines the interaction between income and family, and offers solutions to improve young lives. JEANNE BROOKS-GUNN is Virginia and Leonard Marx Professor of Child Development at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is also director of the Center for Young Children and Families, and co-directs the Adolescent Study Program at Teachers College. More than one in five American children live below the poverty line, a proportion that exceeds that of any other advanced nation. Although large numbers of Western European children live with single or unemployed parents, or belong to disadvantaged minorities, they are better shielded from severe deprivation by carefully designed public assistance programs. Saving Our Children from Poverty describes one of the most successful European systems of assistance for families, that of France, and through comparison with American programs offers a valuable guide to improving our own safety net for children and reforming our dysfunctional welfare system. Saving Our Children from Poverty details the array of benefits available to both high- and low-income families in France. Government-run nursery schools provide free, high-quality care for almost all children between the ages of three and six. Children also receive guaranteed medical care under a national health insurance plan. The French system offers married couples most of the same benefits as single parents, and creates strong incentives to seek and hold jobs rather than remain on welfare. A French single mother who chooses to work still receives substantial income supplements, housing assistance, subsidized health care, and access to public child care facilities. In stark contrast, her American counterpart loses most of her cash benefits if she takes a job and receives no government assistance with child care. Because American policies focus disproportionately on aiding the poorest non-working families, parents forced to rely on low-wage jobs are frequently left without the resources to provide their children with an adequate standard of living. As the public debate on welfare reform continues to rage, ever more American children fall into poverty. Why does the nation remain so unresponsive to their plight? Saving Our Children from Poverty probes the American aversion to national assistance programs, citing the negative attitudes that have seeped into the current political discourse. A lack of faith in the federal government's administrative abilities has bolstered a trend toward decentralization of programs, as well as a growing resistance to taxation. Racial antipathies and a belief that financial support encourages irresponsibility further undermine the development of programs for those in need. Saving Our Children from Poverty illustrates what a nation no wealthier than ours can realistically accomplish and afford, and concludes with a viable blueprint for successfully applying aspects of France's system to the United States.

one In Five American Children Now Live In Families With Incomes Below The Poverty Line, And Their Prospects Are Not Bright. Low Income Is Linked With A Variety Of Poor Outcomes For Children, From Low Birth Weight And Poor Nutrition In Infancy To Increased Chances Of Academic Failure, Emotional Distress, And Unwed Childbirth In Adolescence. Consequences Of Growing Up Poor Is An Illuminating Examination Of The Way Economic Deprivation Damages Children At All Stages Of Their Development. In Consequences Of Growing Up Poor, Developmental Psychologists, Economists, And Sociologists Address Specific Questions About How Low Income Puts Children At Risk Intellectually, Emotionally. And Physically. They Demonstrate That Although Income Clearly Creates Disadvantages, It Does So Selectively And In A Wide Variety Of Ways. Based On Their Findings, The Editors And Contributors Recommend More Sharply Focused Child Welfare Policies Targeted At Specific Eras And Conditions Of Poor Children's Lives. They Also Weigh The Relative Need For Income Supplements, Child Care Subsidies, And Home Interventions.

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it Is Well Organized, Clearly Written And Provides Useful Information That Can Enhance The Lives Of America's Children And Their Families.

Saving Our Children From Poverty compares the American aversion to national assistance programs with the French commitment to child well-being. Americans' lack of faith in the federal government, a growing resistance to taxation, and a belief that financial support encourages irresponsibility have weakened support for U.S. welfare programs. Saving Our Children From Poverty illustrates what a nation no wealthier than ours can realistically accomplish and concludes with a viable blueprint for successfully applying aspects of France's system to the United States. Its insights may help us to realize the importance of helping America's most undeserving poor. Cover Title page, Copyright page Contents Tables Acknowledgments Chapter 1. How Two Countries Respond to Children's Needs Chapter 2. Differences in Spending and Program Design Chapter 3. Government Child-Care Programs in France Chapter 4. French Payments to Raise Children's Living Standards Chapter 5. Medical Services for Child Well-Being in France Chapter 6. American Programs for Children: Keeping Millions Deprived Chapter 7. Reducing Child Poverty by Helping Working Parents Chapter 8. Can We Conquer Child Poverty in America Through Political Action? Notes Index