- Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University - https://developingchild.harvard.edu -

The Way to Beat Poverty

In this column, authors Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn emphasize the importance of early intervention in breaking the cycle of poverty. Citing the work of Center Director Jack P. Shonkoff, they explain how adverse experiences associated with poverty can compromise brain development and undermine the foundations for healthy adult life. Such toxic stress [1] can fuel the intergenerational transmission of poverty, making it “critical to intervene early,” they argue, by supporting maternal health and new investments in the first years of life.

Share this:
[2] [3]