This research proposal examines the relationship between poverty and early childhood development. It will analyze 50 children ages 3-8, with 25 from low-income backgrounds and 25 from wealthier families. Over four years, the children's academic performance, behavior, and development will be assessed through tests, exams, and observations. Statistical analysis will determine if poverty negatively impacts development. If a relationship is found, further research and government programs could help disadvantaged children receive necessary support. The study aims to contribute to understanding how poverty shapes childhood and what can be done to promote healthy development for all children.

1. Running Head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL
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RESEARCH PROPOSAL
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Effects of Poverty on Early Childhood Development
Student Name
Institution
Abstract
Poverty is an issue affecting the world and the children at large.
Low-income families are unable to provide some basic needs
that children need for their development. The purpose of the
study is to analyze is there is a connection between poverty and
early childhood development. The research is quantitative,
where the dependent variable is early childhood development,
and the independent variable is poverty. The sample size is 50
children randomly selected from school, whereby 25 are from
poor backgrounds, and the other 25 are from well-off families.
The study is longitudinal because it will take place for four
years. The results obtained will help either to reject or not
reject the null hypothesis of the study. If the study shows a

2. positive relationship, there is a need for further studies to be
conducted to ensure that the correct inference is made. The
research data may not be sufficient enough to make inferences
about the whole population's poverty issue on childhood
development.
Introduction
The study is to show the relationship between poverty and the
effects it has on the children that live in the settings. Poverty is
an aspect that affects not only the children but also the rest of
the world. The study will be conducted for the children that live
in poverty and establish the effects it has on early childhood
development. Research shows that a child raised in poverty may
not be as likely as a child raised in a well-off family to succeed.
This is due to the challenges the children encounter. Some of
the problems can be changed, but some are unchangeable.
The challenges the children have in their childhood affects how
they become when they grow (Chaudry & Wimer, 2016). Some,
since they cannot afford education, grow up to become
criminals because they want to make a living. They resolve into
activities that are not good because they do not receive the basic
needs that they require at their homes. Examples of children
that are mostly affected by poverty are the ones from minority
communities. The study shows the challenges the children face
even in their schools where they learn and at home. Children
from poor backgrounds may face difficulties like discrimination
from other kids who do not live in poverty. The challenges are
the ones that depict the outcome of the children in their early
childhood development stage.

3. Statement of the problem
In the United States and the United Kingdom, nearly every state
is affected by poverty, and there has not been much
improvement in the sector over the last years. The problem that
is there is that wealthy neighborhoods tend to discriminate
against the poor ones, and there seems to be no help to support
each other. Poverty is a factor affecting most people, and the
main focus is on young children who live in the conditions. It is
disturbing how it affects their early childhood development. The
developmental effects include social, mental health, and
academics (Hamilton, 2019). All children have dreams of living
a good life and attaining success. It is not good that they face
such challenges at their young age because it makes them
develop into adults that they are not supposed to be. Therefore,
it is crucial to understand the challenges they face and how they
can be resolved before the children get affected at their
developmental stages.
Study Significance
The purpose of the study is to link the association between
poverty and early childhood development if it exists. The topic
of discussion has not been so much explored because people
believe that children develop according to how their childhood
educator teaches them. What people fail to understand is that
poverty also plays a significant role in shaping children into
adults. The first years of a child are vital in their development,
and it is essential to clear any obstacles that may hinder proper
growth. Helping children who come from low-income families
at their young age will help their development and also the state
of the economy.
Research question
What is the association between poverty the children who live
in the conditions’ development?
Hypothesis
The null hypothesis of the study is that there is less or no
association between poverty, and the growth of the children
living in the conditions and the alternative hypothesis is that

4. there is association.
Literature Review
Few researchers have conducted a study on the poverty problem
in the United States, and it affects early childhood development.
A child requires a pleasant environment at home and in school
to help develop his or her social skills. Communities that are
faced with poverty have limited resources. The communities are
made up of families where children are contained. The children
from these families face challenges at school, such as stress,
which hinders their learning. Some face pressure, such as lack
of enough study materials, and are unable to interact with their
fellow students when in class. Also, the instructor faces
challenges in establishing communication with the children.
Some even lack school fees, which makes the children have a
hard time in school. Lack of fees can cause a parent to take
their children to a school where learning is not quality.
According to (Jensen et al., 2017), poverty as a whole
does not have an effect on childhood development; instead, it is
the risk factors that are related with poverty. Such risk factors
include unstable food supply, psychological stress, and
diseases. High-income countries such as the UK and the US face
the poverty issue with an estimation of about 20% (Jensen et al.,
2017).
Poverty issues such as the income earned by the family and
education of the mother can have adverse effects on the child’s
development (Sharkins et al., 2017). The child can have issues
with language and cognitive skills due to the poverty challenges
that the parents face. Also, children who come from poor
backgrounds are estimated to start school with fewer social-
economic and necessary cognitive skills that are obtained from
parents before schooling (Sharkins et al., 2017).
According to (Chaudry & Wimer, 2016), poverty and low
income are the causes of developmental issues in children. The
problems cause children to be underdeveloped in terms of their
cognitive skills and education. Family stress, lack of cognitive
input, and lack of resources lead to the challenges children face

5. in their development.
Early childhood development has an impact on how a child will
develop into an adult. The way a child grows affects how he or
she becomes an adult if they will be healthy and productive
(Tran et al., 2017). Parents need to take care of their children
and play with them often to add to their cognitive skills and
nature their development. In addition to what the educators
teach them at school, parents should also provide their children
with extra books for learning, which might be a challenge for
needy families (Tran et al., 2017).
Poverty and children’s academic performance have been found
to have a direct relationship. Children from poor backgrounds
have behavioral and academic problems that affect their overall
performance and development (Hamilton, 2019). Also, children
from poor backgrounds face health issues due to the families’
inability to control the environment that they live in (Jackson,
2017).
Assumptions
Some of the vital needs of a child in the developmental stages
are food, shelter, and health monitoring. If a child is subjected
to a lack of needs at a young age, it affects their growth. A
child needs food to survive and does not know how the parent
works hard to obtain the food. Therefore, if the child lacks food
at their age of development, they will be affected emotionally,
and it will alter their development. For example, if a parent
lacks school fees for their child, the child will not go to school.
As the child stays at home, they will not develop well because
they lack the education that helps them develop into responsible
adults (Chaudry & Wimer, 2016). Therefore, the children as
they grow, with the challenges they face, will end up becoming
criminals in search of basic needs that they can otherwise not
obtain the proper way.
Children raised by a low-income family may also have
developmental issues. It is because of a lack of basic needs such
as food and shelter. If a child does not receive a balanced diet
every day, they might develop health issues that may be

6. difficult to treat because the parents lack enough funds to take
care of their health. This is another issue that is affecting young
children in their developmental stages.
For families in a community living in poverty, teachers cannot
be paid enough to teach the children. Early childhood educators
also utilize the money they get from their work to raise their
families. Therefore, education will not be sustained in such
communities. Also, children from poor backgrounds lack
enough materials for their studies in schools. The government
has tried to establish funds for early childhood education, but
the resources cannot be enough. If poverty is not reduced, then
the risk of the poverty cycle continuing is more (Tran et al.,
2017).
Methodology and Data Collection
Study Group and Sampling Process
The study is for at-risk children who are aged between 3 and 8
years old. A sample of children is taken from those who develop
in poor neighborhoods and those that do not live in the
conditions. A total of 50 children will be randomly sampled,
whereby 25 are the affected, and the other 25 are not. In this
case, the 25 poor children are the cases, and the others are
controls.
Challenges
1. Some schools and parents may not be willing to participate in
the study because of fear of exposure.
2. Some children may not be willing to be analyzed throughout
the years.
Data Collection
The study will be conducted in a school setup where both the
parents and the school have accepted the study. The faculty

7. members will monitor the selected students in the school for a
period of four years. The faculty members that are selected to
monitor their progress are not related or attached to the children
in any way. By the end of each study year, an assessment will
be done to establish the momentum in their development. Tests
will be provided for the children after some weeks and an end
year exam that will be graded and used in the study. Faculty
members that are selected to do the development assessment
shall not take part in grading the children in the schools. Also,
several psychological tests will be conducted on the children
and observations that will be used to analyze their behavior as
well as development.
The selection is suitable because the faculty members are the
ones who are involved in the school at most times. Given that I
will not be available at the school to conduct the assessment
each time, the method of collection is the most suitable.
Data Analysis
This is a quantitative study design. The dependent variable of
the study is poverty, while the independent variable is early
childhood development. A certified behavioral analyst and a
school psychologist will analyze the development and behavior
of the children within the study period. The tests given after
some weeks will display the performance of the students
gradually, that is, if they are improving or failing. The end year
examination will present their overall performance and how
much the children have learned throughout the year.
A t-test score will be used to analyze the longitudinal data.
Also, charts and scatter plots will be used to analyze the data to
show if, indeed, there is a connection between poverty and the
development of young children.
Discussion
The null hypothesis will be rejected if the results obtained show
that there is a connection between poverty and development;
otherwise, the null hypothesis will not be rejected. If the null
hypothesis is not rejected, it will show that there is no link
between poverty and development of young children. Therefore,

8. the development of a child can be affected by other factors
other than poverty.
Ethical Issues
1. The school must consent to the study conducted in their
school environment.
2. Parents whose children have been selected should consent
and accept that the study can be conducted with their children.
3. The school board should accept the research proposal before
the onset of the research.
Limitations of the Study
1. The sample size might be small compared to the large
population of people living in poverty.
2. The sample size used may not be enough to make inferences
for the whole population living in poor backgrounds.
Benefits of the Study
The study will help us understand the challenges the poor
children face due to poverty, and if at all, it affects their
development.
Challenges
1. It is not possible to study all the children living in poor
conditions in the world. Therefore, only a small number can be
considered.
2. The period of study may not be enough to make conclusions
on the children’s development.
Conclusion
Poverty is an issue affecting many people in communities and
so as children. When children are denied their basic needs, they
may have developmental problems. The study will help
enlighten researchers to do more research on the topic to show
the relationship that may exist between poverty and early
childhood development. In the same way, the government can
develop strategies to help poor children have proper access to a

9. good education. Also, the families can find ways to ensure that
their children get all the basic needs they need to reduce the
stress that may be imposed on them at their young age. If all
children develop well, then crimes will reduce in societies, and
the economy will benefit.
References
Chaudry, A., & Wimer, C. (2016). Poverty is not just an
indicator: The relationship between income, poverty, and child
well-being. Academic pediatrics, 16(3), S23-S29.
Hamilton, E. (2019). The Effects of Poverty: Children and
Education.
Jackson, M. (2017). Effects of poverty and health on children’s
cognitive development. Focus, 1(33), 2.
Jensen, S. K., Berens, A. E., & Nelson 3rd, C. A. (2017).
Effects of poverty on interacting biological systems underlying
child development. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health,
1(3), 225-239.
Sharkins, K. A., Leger, S. E., & Ernest, J. M. (2017).
Examining effects of poverty, maternal depression, and
children’s self-regulation abilities on the development of
language and cognition in early childhood: An early head start
perspective. Early Childhood Education Journal, 45(4), 493-
498.
Tran, T. D., Luchters, S., & Fisher, J. (2017). Early childhood
development: impact of national human development, family
poverty, parenting practices and access to early childhood

10. education. Child: care, health and development, 43(3), 415-426.
RC005 DEVELOPING RESEARCH PROPOSALS
PowerPoint video presentation
Part II: Sharing and Reflection
The video presentation must be 3–5 minutes and include an:
1. Introduction that explains your research question, how you
arrived at the research question, and the methodology
2. Explanation of how this research can contribute to positive
social change in the early childhood field.
3. All slides should be detailed and list the information above
please citate all information and list references
4. At least 10 – 12 slides along with references slide included.