Most people know that breaking generational cycles of poverty is difficult. But it may be harder than any of us ever imagined.
MIT economist Peter Temin postulates that the path out of poverty must be charted early on. Even then, the journey can easily be derailed. The Atlantic sums up his work this way:
“And how is one to move up from the lower group to the higher one? Education is key, Temin writes, but notes that this means plotting, starting in early childhood, a successful path to, and through, college. That’s a 16-year (or longer) plan that, as Temin compellingly observes, can be easily upended.”
This is exactly why Buckner Family Pathways is so effective. The residential program stabilizes single-parent families by providing safe, secure housing, child care assistance, counseling and access to practical classes that improve money management, communication skills and parenting.
With that support, parents can focus on themselves and their family. They enroll and complete degrees in higher education. As parents work on their coursework and progress through their degree plans, their children observe their hard work. By watching, they understand education is important.
As a result, roughly 90 percent of children of Family Pathways residents enroll in college.
That’s changing generations. Higher education provides access to higher-paying jobs. Higher-paying jobs leads to more financially stable families.