Kids in poverty have less parent time: Census

from Reuters

By David Alexander

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - American children living in poverty or in single-parent homes have less interaction with their parents and are more likely to have trouble at school than youths in wealthier, two-parent homes, according to a report released on Thursday.

The U.S. Census Bureau report, "A Child's Day: 2003," looked at factors that affect the well-being of American youngsters, only the third time the agency has studied issues affecting children.

The agency found American children generally are doing well in school, have positive interactions with their parents and are engaged in activities outside school. But it also discovered some signs of trouble.

"Children living in families below the poverty level, children whose parents have lower levels of educational attainment and children in families with single parents tend to have less daily interaction with their parents, such as talking, being read to or sharing daily meals," the authors said.

"Children whose families live below poverty and with lower levels of family income are less likely to participate in extracurricular activities and to be academically on track than children ... with higher levels of family income."

Three-quarters of U.S. children 12 to 17 were doing well in school, performing at or above their grade level, nearly 6 percentage points higher than in 1994, the study found.

Nearly a quarter were enrolled in classes for gifted children or had done advanced work in an academic subject, it found.

Among youngsters living in poverty, however, only 69 percent were academically on track, and only 14 percent were in classes for gifted children. They were also twice as likely to have been suspended from school compared to children living in higher-income families.

The study looked at several indicators of parental involvement with children, which research has shown leads to fewer behavioral problems.

Most children ate regularly with at least one parent, nearly all received daily praise from a parent and 72 percent talked or played with a parent for fun three or more times a day. Older children tended to eat with parents less frequently and receive praise less often.

Children between 1 and 5 years old were read to about seven times a week, findings that "present a fairly consistent portrait of children whose parents read to them on a regular basis," the report said.

Among children living below the poverty level, however, about 40 percent were read to seven or more times a week, compared with about 46 percent of those living in households with income 200 percent or more above the poverty level.

The study also found:

-- Among youngsters age 3 to 17, 58 percent lived with rules limiting their television viewing.

-- A quarter of children under age 3 had spent time in child care arrangements not involving a family member.

-- Nearly half of children 3 to 5 had spent time in child care, most likely because many begin preschool at that age.

-- Almost 7 percent of children had not been read to in the previous week.

-- More than 36 percent of children 6 to 11 were involved in extracurricular sports, 33 percent were in clubs and 32 percent took lessons.