Poverty and the Young Child: Understanding and Changing Impacts in the U.S..

Catalog description

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. The course provides a deep understanding of the nature, causes and consequences of poverty during the early childhood years in the United States. The course will explore mitigating factors that promote healthy child development, including family support. The course will also examine the history of programs serving young children and critically analyze their impact. The course is designed to enhance knowledge of poverty, while also providing opportunities to deepen and apply that knowledge to equip students with the skills needed to best support young children and their families across a variety of settings (schools, afterschool programs, social work, medicine, clinical psychology, etc). The course will explore different perspectives (e.g., developmental psychology, sociology and policy) on poverty and the role it plays in young children’s lives as the course covers the major systems which young children experience, including: biological systems, family, neighborhoods and communities, health care, early education and care, and school systems. Students will be asked to apply this knowledge as they conduct service and reflect on the impact poverty has in the lives of children and families. Students will also consider tangible actions that could positively influence young children’s development within an organization, and will take an in-depth look at how poverty affects children in the United States. The course will provide the student with experiences to help prepare them for future work with young children and their families.