Imagine a world in which millions of young American children don\u2019t live with food insecurity. They\u2019d be more ready for school, better able to count and know their alphabet letters. They\u2019d find it easier to sit still, pay attention and finish a task. They\u2019d probably be better at making friends and more eager to learn.<\/p>\n
Our study suggests that millions of young American children experience considerable, potentially lifelong educational disadvantages as a result of food insecurity. Eliminating food insecurity for children under five in low-income homes, our research suggests, could significantly improve their readiness to learn and succeed, both in school and in life.<\/p>\n
Ending food insecurity is easier said than done. For one thing, it would be expensive. It would also be more difficult for infants and toddlers than for older children, who can be fed directly at school. However, it would also be more straightforward, in principle, than resolving other problems that can also damage young children, such as poor parenting that results from mental illness or domestic violence.<\/p>\n
Study design<\/h2>\n
Ours is the first US study to examine the educational disadvantages incurred when young children live in households with food insecurity. There are 15 million children in food insecure households in the US – these are homes where the quality and quantity of available food is inadequate to fuel a healthy lifestyle. However, food insecurity isn\u2019t as simple as saying that children in these homes go to bed hungry. In some of these homes, the children may eat enough but the parents may miss meals or worry that there won\u2019t be sufficient food for everyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir reading and math skills at kindergarten are poorer, as are their capacities to sit still, pay attention and finish a task.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
We examined a nationally representative group of several thousand children born in the US in 2001 into low-income households \u2013 defined as those with incomes at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Line. We checked for food insecurity at three developmental stages \u2013 baby (9 months), toddler (2 years) and preschool (4 years). We looked for any links between food insecurity at these stages and children\u2019s reading, math and social-emotional skills in their kindergarten year.<\/p>\n
At each of these stages, Mom reported on, for instance, whether anyone at home had skipped a meal because food was short, had worried about there not being enough food, or hadn\u2019t been able to provide nutritionally appropriate food. Based on the answers, we found that children in about one-fifth of these low-income homes experienced some level of food insecurity.<\/p>\n
Food insecurity linked to poorer performance in kindergarten<\/h2>\n
Cross-referencing these findings with children\u2019s performance in kindergarten, we discovered that food insecurity at any of the three stages predicted poorer development in cognitive and social-emotional skills. But the impact was greater when children experienced the insecurity earlier, as babies or toddlers. Their reading and math skills in kindergarten were poorer; so were their approaches to learning, which encompasses their capacity to sit still, pay attention and finish a task. Outcomes were worst when food insecurity was chronic, occurring at all three stages.<\/p>\n
We found that the achievement gap between low-income children living with food insecurity and similar children who were food secure was significant \u2013 a quarter to a tenth of a standard deviation. In some cases, that\u2019s approaching the school readiness boost found in some \u2013 though not all \u2013 studies evaluating the effects of high quality preschool, such as Head Start.<\/p>\n
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