Scope of the Opportunity Gap for Young Children in America
Disparities were examined in three broad domains: education, physical health, and social emotional development and well-being.
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Education
Evidence shows that access to high quality early childhood education (ECE) is associated with positive outcomes spanning education, employment, and health.
The lack of a coherent approach to ECE in the United States results in inconsistent and scarce access to programs of varying quality. Quality frameworks for ECE programs often do not address structural biases that disproportionately affect marginalized populations.
During the critical developmental years prior to age five, children do not have the legally protected right to ECE. In the absence of systematic public investment in ECE in the United States, most families that wish to enroll their children in an ECE program must find and pay for the program on their own.
The following percentages of different demographic groups of families reporting difficulty finding ECE programs in 2016 or did not find a program at all (Corcoran and Steinley, 2017):
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Physical Health
Children from low-income, marginalized racial or ethnic groups, and rural backgrounds are more likely to experience health problems due to differences in health care access and quality that are strongly rooted in structural racism and discrimination.
People of childbearing age who have lower income are less likely to have health insurance, which leaves them physically and financially vulnerable.
1 in 5 of all lower-income women* of childbearing age lack access to health insurance (Osterman and Martin, 2018).
Poverty, including food insecurity, is a pervasive problem in the United States. The consequences of poor nutrition may plague children throughout their life through stunting and poor cognitive development (Galler et al., 2021; Pizzol et al., 2021; De Sanctis et al., 2021).
1 in 6 children experienced food insecurity in the United States in 2016 (NASEM, 2019)
85% of counties with high child food insecurity were rural in 2016 (NASEM, 2019)
Another key component of young children’s physical health is safe and healthy environments—free from physical harm and danger. Children from marginalized populations are more likely to develop asthma or lead poisoning, be victims of violence, and die as a result of injuries.
1 in 7 children were affected by maltreatment (child abuse or neglect) in 2019 (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, and Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau, 2022).
Gun violence is the leading cause of death among children aged 1-19 in the United States (Goldstick, Cunningham, and Carter, 2022; Lee et al., 2022). Black children are four times more likely than their White peers to die from gun violence (CDC, 2020).
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Social Emotional Development, Well-Being, and Mental Health
A lack of stable housing, quality education, health care, and job opportunities can impede parents’ readiness to care for their young children, which can lead to poor mental health outcomes for their children later in life.
Chronic poverty is associated with higher rates of mental health problems among young children. Young children from low socioeconomic and specific racial/ethnic groups are also less likely to have access to the resources and conditions to promote mental health.
Children and adolescents from low-income backgrounds are two to three times more likely than their middle-class counterparts to have mental health concerns (Reiss, 2013).
The opportunity gap has short-term and long-term costs borne not only by individuals, but by society more broadly.
To learn more, see Chapter 6 of the full report.