How Poverty affects development

Poverty affects children across their whole development, not just learning.

Physical Development

Poor nutrition and housing increase illness and fatigue
Low energy reduces participation and attendance

Learning and Thinking

Reduced focus, memory, and organisation
Difficulty planning and completing tasks

Why??
Stress uses up mental energy needed for learning

Social and emotional development

Increased anxiety and emotional overwhelm
Reduced confidence and sense of belonging

Ongoing stress can have long-term effects on wellbeing

Home environment

Children living in poverty are more likely to experience household disorganisation, such as:

Overcrowding
Constant noise
Irregular routines

These conditions reduce opportunities for children to develop key learning skills.

This can affect:

Self-regulation
Children have fewer chances to practise calming themselves, managing emotions, and following predictable routines.
Attention control
Constant stimulation and interruptions make it harder to sustain focus during learning tasks.
Early language development
Fewer quiet, shared moments limit conversation, storytelling, and shared reading.

When these foundations are weakened, children may arrive at school already at a disadvantage

External environment

Poverty does not affect learning in just one way.
It shapes children’s development through their home, school, and neighbourhood environments.
These environments work together to influence how children focus, regulate emotions, and engage in learning.

School environment

Schools serving lower-SES communities often have fewer financial resources because they raise less money from parent contributions.

This can result in:

Fewer learning resources
Limited materials, specialist programs, and classroom supports.
Fewer excursions and extracurricular activities
Reduced access to cultural, sporting, and enrichment experiences.
Reduced access to technology and enrichmen
Fewer opportunities to build digital skills or extend learning beyond core content.

These limitations affect students’ learning experiences even when teachers are highly skilled and committed.

Neighbourhood environment

Children living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods often have limited access to:

Safe and high-quality play spaces
Community facilities
Enrichment activities

This reduces:

Opportunities for physical regulation
Movement helps children release energy and return to a calm, learning-ready state.
Stress relief
Outdoor play supports emotional wellbeing and recovery from daily stress.
Social skill development
Fewer opportunities to practise cooperation, negotiation, and peer interaction.

Without these supports, stress accumulates and learning readiness is reduced