Nursery World - Children in poverty suffer hunger and stigma, finds new research

Children growing up in poverty are going hungry and experiencing feelings of shame and social exclusion due to lack of money and food, according to new research.

A new book, Living Hand to Mouth? Children and food in low-income families, by researchers at the Thomas Coram Research Unit at the UCL Institute of Education, tells the stories of 51 UK children and their experiences of food at home, at school and in social settings.

The research, published in the book by Child Poverty Action Group, found free school meals are not accessible to many children whose parents are on a low income, and even when they are, they may not provide enough food for children’s needs.

Some of the children contributing to the study who came from the most severely deprived families, with no recourse to public funds, did not eat at all during the school day, according to the findings.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included