The Price Poverty Exacts On Learning

Children in poverty face a unique set of academic challenges.  Hunger, stress, homelessness and high rates of mobility all take their toll on the learning process. These are issues affecting more and more children and youth in our community.  It is crucial that we identify children and youth who are at risk due to poverty, and that schools be prepared to meet the unique needs of these students.  

Hunger and its effect on students:

• Undernourished children entering kindergarten develop reading and mathematical skills significantly more slowly than other children.
• Students who eat breakfast, particularly a school breakfast, have fewer behavior problems, better attendance and perform better on school achievement tests.

The impact of homelessness:

• Fewer than 1 in 4 homeless children graduate from high school.
• Students who move more frequently (known as student mobility) have lower achievement and attendance rates.

Locally, research tells us:

• 16% more families sought shelter in 2010 than in 2009, with 62% of families entering emergency shelter for their first time.
• Of the 7,467 people served by the shelter system, 23% were children.
• More than 98,000 students are eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch in Franklin County.
• 57% of clients served by the Mid-Ohio Food Bank report having to choose between paying for food and paying for utilities or heating fuel.

 Nationally, research suggests:

• Proficiency in early grade reading and math are indicators of future academic success and graduation.
• High school graduates have been shown to have higher incomes, to achieve better health, to be less criminally active and to rely less on public assistance as adults than nongraduates.

Initiatives that address improved nutrition, safer neighborhoods and stable housing are vital.  Community efforts that support job training, free tax preparation, and the meeting of emergency needs help to build financial stability within families will help create a better, safer and more educated community.

1. University of California Ervine. Early Math Skills Predict Later Academic Success.  Retrieved on 12-15-11 from http://uci.edu/features/2011/04/feature_duncan_110427.php

2. The National Center on Family Homelessness. State Report Card on Child Homelessness: America’s Youngest Outcasts. December, 2010. Page 9.

3. Diana F. Jyoti, Edward A. Frongillo, and Sonya J. Jones. Food Insecurity Affects School Children’s Academic Performance, Weight Gain, and Social Skills. The Journal of Nutrition. September, 2006. Pages 2831-2839.

4. Feeding America. Child Hunger Facts. Retrieved on 12-06-11 from http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger-facts/child-hunger-facts.aspx.

5. Ibid. Page 28.

6. Community Research Partners. Columbus Public Schools Student Mobility Research Project Report. October, 2003. Page 4-2.

7. Calendar Year 2010 report prepared by the Community Shelter Board for United Way of Central Ohio. Data pulled from the Columbus ServicePoint homeless information management system. Data retrieved and analyzed in February 2011.

8. Ibid.

9. Children’s Hunger Alliance. Franklin County Analysis of Ohio Department of Education data on participation in school breakfast, lunch, and summer food programs. July, 2010.

10. Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. Hunger in America 2010: Local Report Prepared for the Mid-Ohio Foodbank (3611). January, 2010.