Children are particularly vulnerable developmentally in the earliest years of their life. For children living in poverty, the probability of being exposed to developmental risk factors is considerably higher. This Policy Brief examines the impact of poverty on early childhood development. It highlights both the risk and the protective factors for children living in poverty, and provides recommendations for policy.
Historically, ‘poverty’ was defined in simple economic terms relating to the amount of money or material possessions one had or did not have. However, poverty has become a much more complex, multifactorial experience that extends beyond insufficient income. It incorporates the wider effects of social exclusion, shame, and reduced self-esteem and self-respect that result from a lack of access to material and cultural resources. This Policy Brief focuses on the extended concept of ‘relative poverty’ and its resulting personal and social costs. 
