October 25, 2024

Non-profit organizations with a social mission and funding organizations that support their work know this already – providing opportunities to individuals and families who may not have it in their favor is key to success in life. Now, a new 26-year longitudinal study presents additional measurable proof for this belief.

This collaborative study published in Educational Researcher found that the number of educational opportunities that children accrue at home, in early education and care, at school, in afterschool programs, and in their communities as they grow up are strongly linked to their educational attainment and earnings in early adulthood. The key findings:

• Two-thirds children from low-income households experience ≤1 opportunity between birth and high school
  • Average opportunities for typical high school youth are ≥6
• For children who grew up in a low-income family, moving from 0 to 4 opportunities:
  • Increased the odds of graduating from a 4-year college from 10% to 50%
  • Increased annual salaries by $10,000 (by age 26 years)

The authors explain that access to increased opportunities is valuable for increased brain growth and learning and they offer enrichment that might contrast stressful situations that the child may be facing at home.

The mission of many of our non-profits is to present opportunities to these children, not just through after-school and summer enrichment programs but providing well-rounded support to the entire family to help break the cycle of poverty and provide openings.