The Effects Of Poverty In New York City

With nearly thirty percent of its children growing up in poverty, New York City obviously has a poverty problem (Cheney). Children that grow up in poverty are typically less healthy and drop out of school at higher rates than their wealthier peers (Children’s Defense Fund). As was noted in class, many families are plagued by generational poverty. They grow up in poverty, raise families of their own in poverty, and die in poverty, never breaking out of this vicious cycle. In light of this harsh reality, New York City has made fighting poverty a priority. Understandably, they have chosen to focus much of their efforts on social programs that help children succeed in school. Research has shown that graduating high school positions people to earn more and allows them to find employment more quickly, making it easier for them to escape poverty and build a better life for …show more content…
One of the many programs offered by New York City is COMPASS, Comprehensive Afterschool System of NYC, an after school program aimed at children K-12. With programming offered throughout the city, COMPASS aims to provide children with after school extracurricular activities and academic help. Students are also offered a hot dinner, a luxury that low income students may not have at home (The Comprehensive Afterschool System of NYC). Programs like COMPASS aim to help students by adding structure to their lives. They are presented with a plethora of activities, ranging from athletics to academic tutoring. Most importantly, though, children are offered a safe place to be once school ends for the day; they are given an opportunity to productively utilize their free time productively instead of wandering city streets (Kolodner). Additionally, as in the case of prekindergarten, parents are offered the knowledge that their children are being taken care of while they are away at