Essay Instructions: This paper should be an extension of the paper below and it should also describe LONG TERM INPLICATIONS OF CURRENT CONDITIONS- REVIEW THE SCIENTIFIC AND SOCIAL SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ON THE SHORT AND LONG-TERM IMPLICATIONS OF RISKS CONFRONTING YOUNG CHILDREN IN OUR COMMUNITY (E.G.: CRITICAL DEMENSIONS MIGHT INCLUDE SCHOOL READINESS, ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, GRADUATION AND HIGHER EDUCATION RATES, EMPLOYMENT PATTERNS, FAMILY FORMATION PATTERNS,INVOLVEMENT IN CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR,LEVELS OF SATISFACTION IN LIFE...):
FACTORS THAT PROTECT AT RISK CHILDREN FROM NEGATIVE OUTCOMES
One of the unfortunate consequences of the human condition is that some children will
not enjoy the same level of support and resources as their peers because of various
socioeconomic and family situational factors. Nevertheless, history has demonstrated time and
again that some children are able to overcome whatever adversities life throws at them to emerge
as well adjusted and intelligent members of society who go on to achieve their personal and
professional goals irrespective of these challenges and obstacles. These children, though, appear
to be the exception rather than the rule and it is reasonable to suggest that children who are at
risk will suffer from these experiences rather than benefit from them no matter how resilient they
may be. To determine those factors that can serve to protect at-risk children from negative
outcomes, this paper reviews the relevant peer-reviewed and scholarly literature to collect and
evaluate the strongest available evidence concerning those protective factors that support optimal
early childhood development. An analysis of how these factors protect against the effects of an
unequal start in life and their implications for later life outcomes is followed by a summary of
the research and important findings.
In their timely report, “The Long Term Effects of Recession-Induced Child Poverty,”
First Focus (2009) emphasizes that children who experience the effects of poverty are at
particularly high risk for experiencing a number of adverse academic and health-related
outcomes during their childhood as well as poorer health and diminished earning potential later
in life. These are particularly salient issues as the global economic recession continues to
adversely affect the ability of parents and the government to provide desperately needed early
childhood development interventions. According to Yarrow (2009), “The economic crisis that
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began in 2008 and the 2009 federal stimulus package posed roadblocks and opportunities for an
ambitious child-policy agenda, given both fiscal constraints and calls for ‘investment’ in school
buildings, teachers, and children’s education and health” (p. 27). Unfortunately, the longer young
children spend in impoverished conditions, the more serious the consequences are across the
broad range of measures, including higher rates of dropping out of school, and an inability to
gain meaningful employment later in life (Brooks-Gunn & Duncan, 1997).
Because resources are by definition scarce, then, it is important to spend whatever money
is available where it will do the most good for these at-risk children. While it is reasonable to
posit that all impoverished families could benefit from increased income levels, a realistic
approach demands that whatever money is available be spent on those interventions with proven
efficacy. In this regard, according to Pati, Hashim, Brown and Forrest (2009), the resources that
are spent on early childhood development initiatives represent some of the most important
interventions available to help at-risk children avoid the negative outcomes that are generally
associated with their status. These authors emphasize that, “From a life course perspective,
investing in improving early school success by nurturing children’s adaptability -- promoting
resilience factors while reducing risks -- is both worthwhile and cost-effective” (Pati et al., 2009,
p. 5).
Indeed, early childhood development interventions can help young children overcome the
risk factors they may be forced to deal with on a day-to-day basis, but studies have shown that
such interventions carry important implications throughout the life span (Pati et al., 2009). In
order to formulate effective early childhood development interventions, though, it is important to
determine what risk factors are involved and what coping skills young children possess. In this
regard, Pati and her associates add that, “Identifying critical risk and resilience factors is the first
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step in developing interventions to promote early school success” (p. 5). These
recommendations, though, will not magically produce the resources needed to eradicate poverty,
but they do emphasize the need to determine what specific factors must be addressed in order to
develop effective interventions to address them. These recommendations also make it clear that
all children and their families are unique and some may require more assistance than others in
certain areas. This recommendation is congruent with Pati et al.’s observations that, “From a
treatment perspective, separating patients into different service intensity levels is also
commonplace in clinical practice” (p. 13).
No matter what other risk factors might be involved, Pati et al. also point to the need to
ensure that young children are provided with the services they need to remain healthy during
early childhood development initiatives. For example, Pati and her colleagues emphasize that,
“Health supervision is the bedrock of early childhood preventive care” (p. 5). Such health
supervision consists of counseling concerning health and normative developmental changes that
is age appropriate, ensuring that young people receive the recommended regimen of
vaccinations, the provision of support and counseling services to families concerning the rigors
of raising a child in a challenging environment, and teaching both children and their families
how to make informed healthy choices (Pati et al., 2009). In addition, Pati and her associates cite
the need to promote literacy initiatives for the parents of at-risk children, the use of
developmental screenings with standardized instruments to identify at-risk children that can
provide the opportunity to implement intervention services in a more timely fashion, referral of
family members to the resources that are available in their communities, and an increased
frequency of health monitoring services in the home as well as at school.
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References
Brooks-Gunn, J. & Duncan, G. J. (1997). The effects of poverty on children. The Future of
Children, 7(2), 55-71. [Online]. Available: http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.memphis.edu/
stable/1602387?cookieSet=1.
Pati, S., Hashim, K., Brown, B. & Forrest, C. B. (2009, May). Early childhood predictors of
early school success: A selective review of the literature. Child Trends. [Online].
Available: http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2009_05_26_FR_
EarlySchoolSuccess.pdf.
Turning point: The long term effects of recession-induced child poverty. (2009). First Focus.
[Online]. Available: http://www.firstfocus.net/Download/TurningPoint.pdf/.
Yarrow, A. L. (2009, April). History of U.S. children’s policy: 1900-present. First Focus.
[Online].Available: http://www.firstfocus.net/Download/HistoryUSChild
Policy_Yarrow.pdf.
