Ruby Payne’s foundational work, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, has been updated with three all-new chapters. This audiobook chapter on the parents of children in poverty and understanding where they’re coming from contains helpful insights and strategies for teachers.

Chapter 12

The Parents of Children in Poverty: How to Understand Where They’re Coming From

As the demographics in the United States continue to shift, it is important to know who the parents of children in poverty are. Since 41% of children under the age of 18 are either in near poverty or are poor, for every five children, two are having difficulty getting their needs met. The 22% of children in near poverty come from families whose income is less than 200% of the federal poverty threshold. Usually this income is not sufficient to meet basic needs. The other 19% of children are in poverty, which means their families’ income is less than 100% of the federal poverty threshold. The free meals these children eat at school are often the only meals they get.

Because schools are dependent upon parents as supporters in the education of the child, it is important to know about them both as individuals and also as a group.