Why is Escaping Poverty an Individual Problem?

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NARRATOR: The U.S. child poverty rate ranks 34th among 35 nations, with only Romania behind us.

Ashley Walker, single mother of two:

I’m running out of things to sell… I just worry how am I going to pay my bills. How am I gonna to take care of everything that they need. If I’m stressed, when I’m feeling upset or feeling down, they’re really good, I think, about sensing it. Because they’ll come up and they’ll give me a hug or my daughter London, she’ll come up and she’ll tell me she loves me. And I worry every day if that’s going to affect them.

NAR: The Wisconsin study found that stress experienced even by middle class parents can alter the architecture of their childrens’ developing brains. When parents are poor and struggling, the stress and anxiety they experience can be even greater. And so can the possible impact on their children.