How can early years practitioners support the care of young children living in poverty?

Evidence suggests that poverty poses risks to children’s long-term health, education and social outcomes.
The birth of a child brings additional costs and reduces parent and caregiver’s participation in the labour
market leaving families with young children particularly vulnerable to economic stress. This is currently
exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis which has come close on the heels of the pandemic and its associated lockdowns. This paper reviews current evidence on the challenges of parenting and caring for young children in poverty and explores how practitioners can support parents to achieve good outcomes for their children. Practitioners can best support families by forming empathetic and non-judgemental parent-practitioner partnerships which are based on mutual recognition and respect for the contribution each makes towards the child.