Little did I know, the Franklin County School District is getting hit hard with children in poverty.

Waynesboro Area School District and Chambersburg Area School district are at the top of the charts in Franklin County with 51.9 percent and 55.5 percent children poverty attribute.

This is scary.

Not only is poverty something that people deal with on a daily basis in this economy, but when children are affected it is extra hard.

Pennsylvania has experienced a 15.5 percent increase in children in poverty.

Not only is this attribute affecting families and children at home, but it is taken to the classroom as well.

I had a friend growing up who did not have much and I saw it affect her daily life, even in school.
So this was not much of a shock for me. However, it is devastating.

What if a child does not have dinner the night before or breakfast the morning of a school day?

Studies have shown that breakfast jump starts a child’s mind in school and having a nutritional diet helps with many aspects of one’s life.

Some children’s parents do not have the money to buy them new clothes for school, so some are entering school buildings or standing outside waiting for the bus with no coats and inappropriate clothing for the weather.

Other parents work night shifts, which may cause their children to be up late and tired all day during their school day.

This may not seem like a huge deal, but it is.

I know that I sit in class every day tired, but that is because I am on my own, stressed out about work, school, my social life and many other things.

A child should not have that kind of stress in his or her life.

It is a struggling world out there and it is a shame to see such small once smart children having a hard time and cannot keep their attention spans up at school at such a young age.

If children are struggling now with paying attention, being fully awake at school, completing homework assignments and lacking good nutrition, what does the future look like for them?

Possibly not caring about schoolwork, losing friends because of their social status or even dropping out of school at a later date?

These are things that need to be prevented.

Children who seem to be having trouble with school, lacking the appropriate attire for the season or are shown to not be eating enough should be able to sit in with a school counselor for help.

These children probably do not understand exactly what is going on at home or would just like someone to talk to who will not judge them.

Children can be cruel, at any age, I know that first hand.

So sometimes talking with their friends is not the best way to handle things.

Seeing a counselor is probably the best option for these children, just to get them through the day.
For some children, school is a safe house for them.

It is a place to get away from their home lives, talk to their friends, learn and have fun.

However, if they cannot pay attention or are lacking care for their schoolwork, school will just become another part of their day that they cannot wait to leave from.

School was never the most fun for me. I struggled through horrible friendships and never wanted to be there, but I will say this, I would have rather been there, learning with my friends, than have the stress and struggles that these children in these school districts are having today.

No child deserves to have adult stress at a young age.

This leads to more problems down the road and for children, it is not fair; they did not ask for this.
I feel sorry for the parents who have to work hard and watch their own children still struggle.

It is hard out there and everyone is trying their very hardest to make it in times like these.

Poverty is a serious thing and I think we all forget how much it affects the younger generation, not just the parents that are working their hardest to put food on the table and clothes on backs.

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