School readiness at the nexus between poverty and education: The insights of two Jamaican teachers

In this article, the role of poverty as a barrier to children’s readiness for school is discussed. Using two Jamaican early childhood teachers to illuminate the findings, this piece sought to gain insight into teachers’ perspectives about supporting children, who come from impoverished circumstances, to be ready for primary school. Thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews revealed two dominant themes: 1) Teachers need better preparation to meet children’s developmental needs, and 2) Unrealistic curriculum expectations perpetuate the knowledge gap. These findings draw attention to some of the challenges teachers face in meeting the needs of children who live in poverty. These challenges have implications for the provision of equitable early childhood opportunities for children from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. In developing countries, educational equity and equality cannot be realised without wholly addressing the role of poverty and its insidious impact on communities, families and social institutions. Data suggest that of the one and half billion people who live in poverty, there are twice as many children than adults. Children below four years of age are more susceptible to poverty and as such larger numbers of this cohort are at risk for its plethoric effect (Newhouse, Suàrez Becerra & Evans, 2016; Sumner, 2010). The impact of poverty is vicious. For the persons who are classified as “living in poverty”, poverty is more than a mere construct. It is a way of life (Sumner, 2010). Poverty reflects their lived experiences and forecasts their life expectancy, maternal health, ability to access health services, educational opportunities, and ability to fulfill their human rights. If intervention is not implemented, it predicts their educational outcomes (Engle & Black, 2008; Sumner, 2010; Wagstaff et al, 2004). The crippling effects of poverty and its role as “the great divider” has been a ubiquitous obstacle facing many low resource countries. In Jamaica, a country classified as developing, despite robust investments to stem the disparate outcomes between children from lower and upper/middle socioeconomic backgrounds, there still remain significant differences in children’s ability to reach their full developmental outcomes (McDonald, 2000; Smith & Ashiabi, 2007; Witter, Hamil, & Spencer, 2009). The figures speak for themselves. Though the numbers are decreasing, research indicates that almost thirty-three percent of Jamaican children under four years of age still live in abject poverty (McDonald, 2000). This means approximately fifty thousand children, who are in a very sensitive period of their development, have to grow up in circumstances that negatively affect their ability to thrive, not only in the near future but the distant as well. The cyclical nature of poverty reinforces its stifling impact on children’s development. For children in the early childhood years this means that they not only stand an increased chance of remaining in poverty well into their adult years, but also that they will most likely perpetuate the cycle, thereby transmitting it to their children as well. Exploring the link between readiness and poverty Though data suggest that the greatest impact of poverty is on the developing brain, a plethora of other studies have also noted the other detrimental impacts which have far reaching effects on children’s lives (Luby, 2013; Hair et al, 2015). Locally derived research studies, including those of Powell and Grantham-McGregor (1989), Grantham-McGregor et al. (1997), and Walker (2011) have shown that Jamaican children who are born in poverty are at a significant disadvantage, especially when compared to their more economically privileged counterparts. They are greater risk for malnutrition (which may result in stunting or obesity). These children also face an increased chance of early academic failure, exposure to questionable parenting practices, greater risk of 37 Kinkead-clark: School readiness at the nexus between poverty and education Published by DigitalCommons@UNO, 2018 being victims of physical and sexual abuse, and greater risk of exposure to high levels of violence based on the contexts they are forced to reside in (Smith & Ashiabi, 2007; Walker, 2011). Further compounding this is that their parents, who are more likely to be stressed (Barrow & Ince, 2008), may have little time to engage in quality interactions with their child, which research suggests could have implications for their child’s cognitive, socioemotional and psycho-social functioning (Roopnarine, Wang, Krishnakumar, & Davidson, 2014). This puts children at a disadvantage because these are essential skills necessary for academic success and readiness for school (Engle & Black, 2008; Gaskin & Walker, 2003; World Health Organization, 2009; Yoshikawa, Aber & Beardslee, 2012).