Family Income and Young Children's Development
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| Title: | Family Income and Young Children's Development |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Wimer, Christopher, Wolf, Sharon |
| Source: | Future of Children. Fall 2020 30(2):191-211. |
| Availability: | Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and The Brookings Institution. 267 Wallace Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544. Tel: 609-258-6979; e-mail: FOC@princeton.edu; Web site: https://futureofchildren.princeton.edu/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 21 |
| Publication Date: | 2020 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Descriptors: | Family Income, Child Development, Barriers, Young Children, Age Differences, Poverty, Socioeconomic Influences, Low Income Groups, Welfare Services, Family Structure, Racial Differences, Ethnicity, Parent Background, Educational Attainment, Tax Credits, Health Care Costs, Child Care, Expenditures, Stress Variables, Infants, Toddlers, Developing Nations, Foreign Countries, Federal Programs, Nutrition, Federal Legislation, Taxes |
| Geographic Terms: | United States, Africa, Asia, North America, South America |
| Laws, Policies and Program Identifiers: | Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children, Earned Income Tax Credit |
| ISSN: | 1054-8289 |
| Abstract: | Is income during children's earliest years a key determinant of long-term child and adult success in the longer run? The research to date, Christopher Wimer and Sharon Wolf write, suggests that it is. Wimer and Wolf review substantial descriptive evidence that income can enhance child development and later adult outcomes, and that it does so most strongly during children's earliest years. Next they wrestle with the question of whether this relationship is causal. After outlining the challenges in identifying such causal relationships, they describe a number of studies that purport to overcome these challenges through quasi- or natural experiments. Among other topics, the authors examine how family income affects the outcomes of young children compared to those of older children, and how its effects vary among poor, low-income, and higher-income families. They also look at the evidence around other dimensions of income, including nonlinear relationships between income and key outcomes, instability in income versus the absolute level of income, and various forms of income, and they review the evidence for impacts of in-kind or near-cash income supports. Finally, Wimer and Wolf highlight some recently launched studies that will shed further light on the relationship between income and development in children's earliest years, and they suggest how policy might better provide income support to low-income families and their children. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2021 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1293559 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Is income during children's earliest years a key determinant of long-term child and adult success in the longer run? The research to date, Christopher Wimer and Sharon Wolf write, suggests that it is. Wimer and Wolf review substantial descriptive evidence that income can enhance child development and later adult outcomes, and that it does so most strongly during children's earliest years. Next they wrestle with the question of whether this relationship is causal. After outlining the challenges in identifying such causal relationships, they describe a number of studies that purport to overcome these challenges through quasi- or natural experiments. Among other topics, the authors examine how family income affects the outcomes of young children compared to those of older children, and how its effects vary among poor, low-income, and higher-income families. They also look at the evidence around other dimensions of income, including nonlinear relationships between income and key outcomes, instability in income versus the absolute level of income, and various forms of income, and they review the evidence for impacts of in-kind or near-cash income supports. Finally, Wimer and Wolf highlight some recently launched studies that will shed further light on the relationship between income and development in children's earliest years, and they suggest how policy might better provide income support to low-income families and their children. |
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| ISSN: | 1054-8289 |
