More than 3 million people experience homelessness in the US each year, including 1.3 million children. Low-income families often spend over 50% of their income on rent due to a lack of affordable housing and stagnant incomes. Living in poverty can negatively impact children's brain development, physical and mental health, language skills, and school performance. Teachers can help students from low-income families by building relationships, acknowledging academic successes, reviewing classroom rules, and having high expectations for students.

1. +
Homelessn
ess
&
Poverty
By: Briana Campbell

2.  “Each year, more than 3 million people
+ experience homelessness, including 1.3
Facts 
million children”.
“Low-income American households pay
more that 50 percent of their income on
rent”.
 Causes:
 Lacking of Affordable Housing
 Lagging Incomes
 Slashed Services and Government
Assistance
 (NLCHP, 2010)
 (Thompson, 2011)

3. +
For children living in poverty…
 neural systems develop differently from middle-class children.
 Some display outward aggression
 Suffer from depression
 Increased risk of lead paint poisoning
 Growth stunting, or low height for age
 Physical health, cognitive ability, school achievement
 Teenage pregnancy
 Language Development is affected
 The ability to plan, remember and pay attention in school is affected
 (Toppo, 2008)
 (The connecticut commission, 2004)

4. +
Teachers can help their students by…
 Building relationships and a sense of classroom community
 Utilizing events that “add new brain cells”
 Acknowledging their academic successes, not what they own or do not
own.
 Reviewing classroom rules and routines because they may differ from how
their life operates outside the classroom.
 “Have high expectations for your students”.
 (Thompson, 2011)

5. + a teacher I will…
As
-Value my students for
their achievements, not
possessions
-Create relationships with
my students
-Create a safe classroom
environment
-Schedule snack time
close to the beginning of
the school day. (Sawyer, 2011)

6. +
References
 NLCHP. (2010). National law center on homelessness & poverty.
Retrieved from http://www.nlchp.org/hapia.cfm
 Sawyer, K. (2011, December 07). Blog post 3: "teaching tips".
Retrieved from http://navigators.web.unc.edu/2011/12/07/blog-post-3-
teaching-tips/
 The connecticut commission on children. (2004, June). Retrieved from
http://www.cga.ct.gov/coc/pdfs/poverty/2004_poverty_report.pdf
 Thompson, J. (2011). What can you do for students in poverty. Retrieved from
http://teaching.monster.com/counselors/articles/8164-what-you-can-do-
for-students-living-in-poverty
 Toppo, G. (2008, Dec 10). http://www.usatoday.com. Retrieved from
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-12-07-childrens-
brains_N.htm