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Early Childhood Development Real Life Story - Kid's Ages Vary, But One Need Is the Same | The Ottumwa (Iowa) Courier, August 20, 2005 | By Cindy Toopes, Ottumwa Courier Staff Writer | IntroductionOttumwa, Iowa - Needs vary as a child ages from tot to teen and anyone can have problems.
Kids in poverty also have needs and problems. But, they have something upper classes don't. For the impoverished, each days starts with a question: How do I survive?
The number of impoverished children continues to rise in southern Iowa and local professionals involved with child development or care expressed concern for the struggles of low-income families. One educator believes the school district may have some answers.
Social Worker Donna CrookhamDonna Crookham is executive director of Southern Iowa Mental Health and a clinical social worker. She said prenatal care and nutrition "are uppermost at the beginning of life."
But, those in poverty need assistance to provide babies with something as basic as healthy food sources.
Women and Infant Care program is part of American Home Finding Association and handles low-income children up to five years old.
"Our caseload is really high this year and I believe that's indicative of our economy," said Tom Lazio, director of AHF.
A family with an income of up to $35,000 can still qualify for aid. "If they have three or four children, with that salary they still need help," he added.
For families who "don't have good insurance," WIC fills a gap by offering child health exams at a reduced cost.
Lazio has also noticed the billboards concerning the number of kids uninsured or underinsured. Lazio said the billboards are promoting Hawk-I (Healthy and Well Kids in Iowa).
"Some families do have health insurance but might as well not have it because it's not enough. The need for Hawk-I says something to me about our state," Lazio said.
The Attachment Between Mother and ChildTo be mentally healthy, every child needs the attachment between the mother and baby, Crookham said.
"That is the basis of future relationships and the development of the child from that time forward," she added.
There can be negative impacts when a child has a lot of different caretakers and inconsistent living arrangements. Children in poverty are handed from one caregiver to another and it's confusing to kids, she said.
"So this confusion is the basis of trust they have, right out of the chute. Younger kids are so vulnerable," Crookham said. "A parent can't pay for child care and afford a place to live."
Poverty is about more than money, according to Principal Jody Williams at James Elementary School in Ottumwa. Those who are impoverished have a lack of emotional, mental and spiritual resources.
"Our challenge as educators is to make sure children are fed, feel safe, and basic needs are met. Our job is to make it so they're not thinking of survival and can use their energy and attention to learn," Williams said.
Children as CaretakersCrookham said elementary-age children are often asked to take care of younger ones because there isn't enough money for child care.
This is where the system has really put people dependent on public assistance in a tough spot, Crookham said.
"They can get a job, which takes them away from the home. Or, they can take care of their kids," she said. "If we truly valued children in this society, parents would raise their children."
These days there is more shame about being poor. In adolescence, it's more apparent, Crookham said. Teens try to dress so their poverty won't be noticed.
But, something like a prom and other things a teen is "supposed to do" makes poverty noticeable. Impoverished teens will try to hide their environment.
"Everyone wants to belong somewhere. If it doesn't go well, they can fall in with drugs or drop out of school, or even join gangs and commit crime," Crookham said.
The Gap Between the Haves and the Have-NotsLazio also mentioned the pressure on teens to have the "right" clothing and supplies and to join activities. "Between the haves and the have-nots, the gap is widening," he said. "When it costs $2.46 for a gallon of gasoline, how do you survive?"
Delinquency is the way to survive for some.
"The attitude is, 'If you don't have, then you have the right to take.' It's a very vicious cycle," Lazio said. "Stealing becomes a way to get stuff. This puts a lot of pressure on a family and we see more family dysfunction."
In counseling sessions, troubled teens talk about parents fighting over money. "The top things they used to talk about was friends or discipline," he added.
Don't try to tell Crookham that "kids are resilient."
"That dismisses what happened to the child. Government leaders don't want to recognize what happens (to kids in poverty) and they don't want to spend the tax dollars," she said.
"Out of the 21 most affluent nations in the world, the United States has the highest percentage of kids in poverty."
Lazio said he is seeing "some real mean-spirited attitudes" in legislators' cuts to state and federal assistance for children.
"Look at No Child Left Behind. And, the U.S. Congress is planning to cut millions of dollars from children's services," he said. "There's a ripple effect. If we don't get from the feds and we don't get it from the states, then it falls back to local governments."
The Framework of PovertyAdministrators of the Ottumwa School District are using "The Framework of Poverty," by Ruby Payne, Ph.D, who has been an educator since 1971.
Her book discusses differences between the classes - poverty, middle and wealthy. Payne focuses on patterns of behavior and avoids typecasting people, Williams said.
The definition of survival changes from class to class. For the impoverished, survival can mean having enough gasoline to go to work or the grocery store. In the middle class, survival could mean having a friend to visit with and vent frustration. Quality child care could mean survival for a wealthy person.
Williams pointed out three quizzes Payne included in her book: 1) Could you survive in poverty?; Could you survive in the middle class?; and, 3) Could you survive in the wealthy class? To do the quizzes, the reader checks off the items they can do.
The Poverty Quiz
In the poverty quiz, the first four items are: "I know which churches and sections of town have the best rummage sales. I know which rummage sales have "bag sales" and when. I know which grocery stores' garbage bins can be accessed for thrown-away food. I know how to get someone out of jail."
The first four from the middle class are: "I know how to get my children into Little League, piano lessons, soccer, etc. I know how to properly set a table. I know which stores are most likely to carry the clothing brands my family wears. My children know the best name brands in clothing."
To survive in the wealthy class: "I can read a menu in French, English and another language. I have several favorite restaurants in different countries of the world. During the holidays, I know how to hire a decorator to identify the appropriate themes and items with which to decorate the house. I know who my preferred financial advisor, legal service, designer, domestic-employment service, and hairdresser are."
The Hidden Rules Among The Poor, Middle, and Affluent Class
Williams said the quizzes shed light on the "hidden rules" in any class. If you're in the class and grow up there, you know what to do. If you try to move from one class to another, it's difficult without a mentor.
To answer why an impoverished student might turn down a scholarship, it helps to know some of those hidden rules.
"In poverty, people are possessions. In the middle class, possessions means things," Williams said.
Allowing a family member to leave for a scholarship would be "a tough decision," she added. Who will take that student's place in providing daily needs for the family?
Williams explained another situation that puzzles those who aren't impoverished. A child has no coat so a generous man buys a coat for him. The next day the child no longer has the coat.
"Most likely the coat was sold for milk or bread or helped a neighbor," Williams.
Payne's book also addresses language, characteristics of generational poverty, role models, resources, support systems and discipline.
Williams believes these ideas help school leaders to understand their students better and help students to realize ways to improve their lives.
The Tendency to Reproduce Another Generation
Kids who are disenfranchised with the school district grow up to live no more than 17 miles from that school district, Williams said. Their education is incomplete and they have no means to move or pursue anything outside the community. So, there is a tendency to reproduce another generation.
That's another part of the battle - stopping the cycle. Williams believes the cycle can be stopped.
"Human beings are marvelous and miraculous and have a boundless capacity to do things you didn't think they could do," she said.
Even with help from Payne's ideas, the schools can't do it alone. Williams said she had a challenge for the local community.
"As I look around at all the church steeples on the hills, I also see the number of faces in need of not just things, but a significant relationship," she said. "Ponder what could happen if every person in church took on one child in poverty. What a difference it would make for that kid and the person. When you give, it's given back to you."
Southern Iowans may want to consider touching lives instead of judging them. "My staff does it every day. They pour their hearts and souls into their jobs," Williams said.
The schools have the community's children most of the day through nine months of the year.
"The rest of the time is up to the rest of us," Williams said.
Cindy Toopes can be reached at (641) 683-5376 or via e-mail at cindy@ottumwacourier.com. | Reprinted with permission of the Ottumaw Courier. |
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