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Early Childhood Education Journal, Vol. 30, No. 1, Fall 2002 ( 2002)

Children and Their Basic Needs

Debra Lindsey Prince1,2 and Esther M. Howard1

The purpose of this article is to present many of the obstacles presented by poverty in the fulfill- ment of the basic needs of children. Each of the 5 basic needs identified by Maslow are addressed with regard to children reared in poverty. The article concludes by reiterating the need to do more to ensure that the basic needs of all American children are met.

KEY WORDS: poverty; basic needs; care and education of young children.

INTRODUCTION properly and care for many of the nation’s most vulnera- ble children, the poor. Despite America’s vast wealth,

During a tour of Mitchell Memorial Library on the enormous resources, and robust economy, far too many

campus of Mississippi State University, an exhibit de- children, like their counterparts on the Titanic, continue

picting replicas of items found on the Titanic was dis- to live disadvantaged lives as evidenced by the follow-

played. One placard that discussed the casualties on the ing statistics:

tragic night that Titanic embarked on its maiden voyage 1. Although children only constitute 26% (70.2 million) of thenoted that the ship once thought of as unsinkable did just

total population of the United States (269.3 million), they rep-that—taking with it 1,500 adults and children. Although resent 40% of America’s poor (U.S. Bureau of the Census,most have heard that the instructions were for women 1999).

and children to be saved first, that did not occur, for the 2. In 1998, 20.6% of all children younger than six lived in pov- final placard reported that all the children were not erty; 18.9% of all children under the age of 18 lived in poverty

(Children’s Defense Fund [CDF], 2000).saved. It read: “All five of the children in first class and 3. Eight percent of American children live in extreme povertyall 24 of the children in second class were saved. Third

with incomes less than 50% of the poverty level ($6,502 for aclass children were not as lucky: Only 23 of the 76 chil- family of three) (Children’s Defense Fund [CDF], 2000).

dren escaped the icy waters.” On the Titanic, tragedy was 4. Eleven percent of white children live in poverty compared unequally distributed along class lines (Hewison, 1998). with 37% of black children and 36% of Hispanic children (Fo-

rum on Child and Family Statistics, 1999).Nearly 90 years later, inequities based on socioeconomic status can still be found when it comes to the care and As evidenced by the previous statistics, millions of well-being of children. American children are living in poverty. While much

For centuries now, great philosophers and educa- debate continues throughout the country about the edu- tors have proclaimed that the cure of societal ills and the cation, or lack of education, all children receive, the sit- future well-being of society could only be found in the uation for America’s poor is by far more serious. Not proper care and education of children. As the 21st cen- only do children who are poor have higher drop-out tury begins, even though the United States is the richest rates, higher rates of retention at grade level, and higher nation in the world, it has not made an honest commit- special education placement rates than children who are ment to care for and educate all children. Specifically, as not poor (Duncan & Brooks-Gunn, 1997; Duncan, Brooks- a nation, the United States is still neglecting to educate Gunn, & Klebanov, 1994; Ford, 1992; Haynes &

Comer, 1990; Sherman, 1997), they are also more likely to have serious physical and mental disabilities and ill1Mississippi State University. health. Being poor is also associated with poor nutrition,2Correspondence should be directed to Debra L. Prince, Mail Stop

9705, Mississippi State, Mississippi; e-mail: [email protected]. living in substandard housing and dangerous neighbor-

27 1082-3301/02/0900-0027/0  2002 Human Sciences Press, Inc.

Prince and Howard28

hoods, receiving substandard child care, teen pregnancy, can & Brooks-Gunn, 1997). Many of these deaths can be attributed to the lack of access to health care. Manyjuvenile delinquencies, child abuse, and death in child-

hood (CDF, 2000). Therefore, not only is poverty a poor families cannot afford health care or insurance. Simpson, Bloom, Cohen, and Parson (1997) found thatpowerful predictor of children’s academic achievement,

it is also an indicator highly associated with the care and uninsured children either use the emergency room as their regular source of health care or receive no healthwell-being of children or, in this case, the lack of it. In

spite of the fact that one component of America’s Goals care services at all. Although efforts are being made to ensure all children have health care coverage, it has not2000 was that every child would come to school ready

to learn (National Governors’ Association, 1992), that become a reality. Nearly 12 million children under the age of 18 are still uninsured (CDF, 2000). Coinciden-has not been the case for millions of American children.

Many of the nation’s children are not coming to school tally, many children continue to suffer from not only treatable but also preventable illnesses.physically, socially, emotionally, or cognitively ready to

learn. Approximately 13 million American children Many children who are poor also experience hun- ger on a daily basis. According to a report released byreared in poverty come to school with poor health and

nutrition, low self-esteem, attention problems, violent the United States Department of Agriculture, the number of families experiencing difficulty in providing enoughexperiences, and low expectations (Hootstein, 1996;

Huston, McLoyd, & Coll, 1994). Consequently, many for their families is rising. For example, in 1997 14.6% of American children did not have enough food to meetof these children come to school with their own agenda,

and their agenda focuses on survival and the attainment their basic needs. By 1998, the percentage of American children without enough food to meet their basic needsof basic needs. Children who are poor, particularly those

experiencing long-term poverty, often come to school had escalated to 19.7% (CDF, 2000). It appears that the drastic measures taken with the welfare reform may bewith many of what Maslow refers to as basic needs un-

fulfilled (Lewis, 1994). Therefore, before we can even be- part of this problem. Many parents who have found em- ployment are either not aware of the fact that they maygin to address the educational needs of these children, we

must begin to understand the multidimensional obstacles still be eligible for food stamps or are unable to cut through the administrative red tape to receive food stamps.presented by poverty in the fulfilment of the basic needs.

It is only when we begin to understand these obstacles that While starvation is uncommon in the United States, the diets of many poor children fail to supply the neededwe will begin to address them adequately. Therefore, the

purpose of this article is to highlight the obstacles pre- nutrients for healthy development. The consequences of malnourishment are most devastating for children undersented by poverty in the attainment of basic needs.

In his hierarchy, Maslow detailed five basic needs the age of three. Malnourished children are not only more likely to have lifelong disabilities and weakenedof all humans. The five basic needs identified by Mas-

low were: (a) physiological needs, (b) safety needs, (c) immune systems but also to be less motivated and less curious than their well-nourished peers (UNICEF, 1998).belonging and love needs, (d) self-esteem needs, and (e)

self-actualization needs. Moreover, Maslow also empha- Schools have been somewhat successful in meeting the dietary needs of millions of school age children for 9sized that before higher level needs are even perceived,

lower level needs must be satisfied (Maslow, 1998). Un- months of the year through the free lunch and breakfast programs. However, the damages brought on by malnu-fortunately, for children reared in poverty, the attain-

ment of each level of need is jeopardized by the many trition may have occurred long before the child reaches compulsory school age.obstacles presented by poverty.

Given the nature of a hierarchy, the physiological needs should be relatively easy to fulfill. However, a

PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS the review of the literature shows that children reared in poverty struggle in their attempts to fulfill this need. TheThe first level of basic needs identified by Maslow

are physiological, including life sustaining necessities consequences of growing up poor are so intertwined. For example, the literature reports that many poor child dosuch as food, shelter, and clothing. There is no doubt

that unless these needs are met, the child will perish. For not receive routine health care. The literature also reports that the diets of children who are poor fail to meet theirmany poor children this need is not met, as evidenced by

the rate of death for infants born to poor parents. Chil- dietary needs. As a result, malnourished children are more likely to suffer from illnesses for which they havedren who are poor are two times more likely to die dur-

ing infancy than children who are not poor. Poor chil- little access to health care. Moreover, while malnutrition causes illnesses, many times illnesses will lead to mal-dren are also one and a half times more likely than

nonpoor children to die between birth and age 14 (Dun- nutrition. All too often, the cycle of devastation contin-

29Children and Their Basic Needs

meltdown—rising crime rates, high levels of drug abuseues to spiral out of control for poor families and chil- and alcoholism, accelerated family breakdown, neigh-dren. However, if by chance the child is able to fulfill borhood deterioration—ignites. Bad neighborhoods de-

this need, then poverty presents an even greater chal- stroy good people. (p. 1) lenge to the fulfillment of the second basic need—safety.

Children in poor neighborhoods, particularly poor Afri- can American neighborhoods, are in mortal danger. Sta-SAFETY NEEDS tistics indicate that the leading cause of death for black

The need for safety includes security, stability, de- men between the ages of 15 and 44 is murder. More pendency, protection, and freedom from fear, anxiety, often than not, children in these dangerous neighbor- and chaos (Elton, 1996). It is with this need for safety hoods have experienced or even witnessed the pain that poverty presents probably its greatest challenge for brought on by violent events. Sadder still is the fact that children to fulfill subsequent needs. Unfortunately, many many children are exposed to chronic violence and pain children reared in poverty live in environments that are within their own homes. both unsafe and unhealthy (National Governors Associa- Children who are poor often live in environments tion, 1992). Children who are poor are more than twice where fear, anxiety, chaos, and unpredictability are ever as likely as their nonpoor peers to live in homes that present. When you think of the bond that so many chil- are overcrowded and dangerously substandard. Many of dren have to their mothers, it is distressing to know that these homes are old and have serious upkeep problems an estimated 3.3 to 10 million of them have witnessed that present health hazards. Although federal regulations violence against their mothers. The figures indicate that banned the use of lead-based paints in houses built after poor children are disproportionately represented in the 1978, many of the substandard homes poor children live number of substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect in were built before that time, which places them at a (CDF, 2000). Moreover, the younger the child is, the greater risk of lead poisoning and the health problems more likely that child is to be abused or neglected. Ac- associated with it. In fact, poor children are eight times cording to Edleson (1999), 40% of all victims of child more likely than nonpoor children to have elevated abuse and neglect are under the age of 6. It is hard not blood-lead levels (CDF, 2000). Despite the fact that re- to feel empathy for these children in their current situa- search has confirmed that exposure to lead can cause tions and offer reassurances that conditions will improve irreversible damage to the brain, many health care agen- someday. But the effects of trauma caused by either wit- cies fail to even screen for blood-lead levels. Whatever nessing violence or being the victim of violence can, the reason is for this lack of screening, many of these and often do, last a lifetime. children are placed at serious risk of developing lifetime Bruce Perry (1993), a child psychiatrist at Texas problems. Considering the multidimensional characteris- Children’s Hospital, has conducted extensive research tic of poverty, living conditions could have logically on the effects of trauma, fear, and stress on brain devel- been addressed with the child’s physiological needs con- opment and ultimately the lives of children. According sidering the life or death consequences presented by to Perry: many of the homes in which these children live, but health

Understanding the traumatized child requires recogni-risks are not the only elements of safety with which poor tion of a key principle of developmental neurobiology:children have to cope. According to James Garbarino the brain develops and organizes as a reflection of de-

(1999), children who are poor not only live in houses velopmental experience, organizing in response to the that are physically toxic but they live in neighborhoods pattern, intensity and nature of sensory and perceptual

experience. The experience of the traumatized is fear,that are socially toxic as well. Oftentimes, the environ- threat, unpredictability, frustration, chaos, hunger, andment of their neighborhood presents an even greater pain. Therefore, the traumatized child’s template forchallenge to their safety than the physical toxicity within brain organization is the stress response. (p. 14)

their homes. In order for children to thrive and develop properly, Technological advances have helped researchers

they must feel a sense of safety. The quest for safety is not only confirm the long held belief that the template a real issue for children growing up in poor neighbor- is formed in the early years but also confirms the notion hoods. Poor neighborhoods are often plagued by drugs, that the brain is a very use-dependent organ. When violence, and crime. In summarizing poor neighborhoods, young children are exposed to chronically stressful situ- the Rusk Report (1996) states: ations, the brain development of the lower portions of

the brain, responsible for “fight or flight” reactions, areWhen many poor households are lumped up together, a strengthened while the development in the cortex re-critical mass is created. As more stable, middle-class

households move away, a chain reaction begins. Social gions of the brain, which are responsible for functions

Prince and Howard30

such as abstract and rational thinking, are weakened children continue to feel unloved and out of place. In the absence of feeling a sense of belonging and love, many(Begley, 1996). In fact, Perry (1993) found the cortex

region of the brain of neglected children to be 20% children fail to identify with the establishments of schools. Longitudinal studies have confirmed that earlysmaller than a control group of children who had not

been neglected. childhood nonidentification with school leads to long- term negative consequences (Finn & Cox, 1992). In fact,Damage in the cortex region of the brain has been

associated with memory lapses, anxiety, attention defi- behaviors such as absenteeism, noncompliance, disrup- tiveness, and inattentiveness seen as early as the thirdcits, and an inability to control emotional outbursts. Not

surprisingly, these are some of the same characteristics grade are reliable predictors as to whether or not the child will ever graduate from high school (Finn & Cox,found in children who fail to achieve academically. Of-

tentimes these children spend so much time evaluating 1992). Quigley (1992) found that one of the most fre- quently cited reasons for dropping out of school was thetheir environment, looking for potential threats or dan-

ger, that they fail to comprehend or even attend to cogni- student’s feeling of not belonging and being out of place. After years of not fitting in, many children, eagertive tasks. Consequently, partly due to the development

of their brain and their quest to fulfill their need for to belong, join gangs. Having achieved this new sense of belonging and love through inclusion in such groups,safety, many children who are poor and live in danger-

ous environments develop behaviors that are counterpro- the goal of high school graduation may be abandoned. ductive in educational settings. The child’s refusal or inability to disregard his survival instincts places him at

SELF-ESTEEM NEEDS serious risk for academic failure because he is suspended from school three times more often than his peers (Ser- As with the lower level needs, poverty may se-

verely affect the attainment of the higher level needs.watka, Deering, & Grant, 1995). Although there are many obstacles related to the first two basic needs identified All people have the need to have a high evaluation of

themselves. The more competent a person perceivesby Maslow, some resilient children are able to overcome them only to be challenged in fulfilling the third basic himself to be at any activity, the greater the intrinsic

motivation will be for that activity. Moreover, the moreneed, the need for belonging and love. competent a person perceives himself to be the more likely he is to persevere in the presence of challenges.

BELONGING AND LOVE NEEDS However, perceived competence is only acquired through successful experience. This is not a new ideology. InFrom the first moment of life, human beings con-

tinually seek the reassurances of belonging and love. fact, one of the first concepts taught in teacher education programs is “success builds success.” If that concept isChildren who receive sensitive and reliable responses from

their parents or caregivers during the early years of their in fact true, would it not be logical to deduce that “fail- ure builds failure”?life are able to develop successful, secure relationships.

However, in research conducted by Hashima and Amato Growing up in poverty has been shown to be one of the greatest risk factors for children’s failing in school.(1994), they found that economic hardships influence

how parents interact with the children, and as the hard- Repeatedly receiving low and failing grades has a detri- mental affect on achievement expectancies and aca-ships intensify, parents tend to become less nurturing

and more inconsistent with discipline and punishment. demic self-concepts, both of which have been found to be powerful predictors of grade performance (House,Hashima and Amato’s research is consistent with statis-

tics that highlight the disproportionate representation of 1995). Consequently, if children do not expect to suc- ceed, they seldom put forth the effort required for suc-children who are poor on child abuse victim lists. In fact,

only alcohol and drug abuse are cited more often than cess. Once again, these children often turn to peers from whom they receive powerful rewards and sanctions forpoverty as a factor relating to child abuse (Jaudes &

Voohis, 1995). The fact that drug and alcohol abuse are behaviors that may even discourage classroom learning (Hootstein, 1996).highly related to poverty compounds the issue. Neverthe-

less, this abuse and lack of nurturing leaves many children with a sense of feeling unloved even within their own

SELF-ACTUALIZATION NEEDS families. As the child gets older, these feelings of being unloved intensify. Many times these children come to Self-actualization, the fifth need addressed by Mas-

low, suggests that what people are capable of being, theychild care establishments and schools still seeking love and a sense of belonging. Unfortunately, these establish- must be in order to maintain their self-esteem. Children

reared in poverty may not recognize education as a viablements seldom fulfill or even recognize this need, and the

31Children and Their Basic Needs

Duncan, G., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (1997). The consequences of growingmeans of attaining their goals. The Plowden Report of up poor. New York: Sage Foundation.

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Edleson, J. L. (1999). The overlap between child maltreatment and natural for children, as they grow older, to regard school woman battering. Violence Against Women, 5(2), 134–154.

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29(1), 141–162.faced with so many conflicting messages. Because of Ford, D. Y. (1992). The American achievement ideology as perceivedtechnological advances, more and more of the jobs peo-

by urban African Americans: Exploration by gender and aca- ple hold are due to their education, and children in pov- demic program. Urban Education, 27(2), 196–211.

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Hewison, R. (1998). Arts. New Statesman, 127(43), 38–39.of drug dealers and criminals and want to emulate them. Hootstein, E. W. (1996). Motivating at-risk students to learn. Clearing

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