One in three children spends at least one year in poverty before reaching adulthood. Three basic principles underlie U.S. policy toward poor children. Society has a responsibility for meeting basic human needs for those who are not able to help themselves. Adults who are sound in mind and body are expected to take personal responsibility for the well-being of their children.
Society is obligated to assure equal opportunity for all citizens.
Current policies alleviate hardships for a number of poor families, and some programs produce important benefits for children. Still, child poverty rates in the United States are higher than rates in 16 other industrialized nations. The United States can do more to prevent and alleviate the consequences of child poverty. The United States is the only Western industrialized nation that does not have some form of universal cash benefit for families raising children. The current official poverty measure is flawed.