Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
View all programs Poverty in Australia
Not all children get an equal start in life
Today, one in six Australian children and young people are living in poverty1, where even life's basics are hard to come by.
When families are experiencing financial disadvantage children can fall behind with their learning, leaving them more vulnerable to experiencing hardship themselves later in the life.
Research shows children and young people living in disadvantage have access to fewer books and learning materials in the home. Access to support and resources forms the foundation for learning. In many cases, the parents of disadvantaged children may not have the skills or experience to support their child’s education. As these children get older, they have fewer role models, and access to mentors and networks that are critical for creating educational opportunities to help them build their aspirations and be motivated to learn.
Research shows children and young people living in disadvantage have access to fewer books and learning materials in the home. Access to support and resources forms the foundation for learning. In many cases, the parents of disadvantaged children may not have the skills or experience to support their child’s education. As these children get older, they have fewer role models, and access to mentors and networks that are critical for creating educational opportunities to help them build their aspirations and be motivated to learn.
The cycle of disadvantage
The effects of growing up in poverty go beyond the home environment. For over 1.2 million Australian children and young people1 this can negatively affect their school life and mean they are less likely to achieve the educational outcomes (and in turn employment outcomes) that then limit their overall life outcomes, passing on disadvantage to the next generation.
Families receiving our support face some complex and often compounding challenges:
- All of them live in low-income families
- More than half live in single-parent family, with 6% living with another relative or in foster care
- Around 40% of students and 30% of their parents / carers have a health or disability issue
- Almost half have a parent or carer who didn’t finish Year 12
- More than 70% of students have a parent or carer who is not in paid employment
- One in five students in Years 5 – 12 have attended four or more schools
Help a child in need break the cycle of disadvantage by giving them the vital learning support they need to catch up and keep up at school this new year.
Child sponsorship Financial pressure creates educational inequality
Financial pressure on a family can also profoundly impact a child’s education, locking them out of crucial learning opportunities and preventing them from fulfilling their potential.
Every child deserves the chance to achieve their best – but without equal access to essential learning resources and opportunities, children experiencing disadvantage often start school behind their peers and stay behind throughout their education.4
The inequality they face every day – through no fault of their own – means that by the time they are 15 years old, students living with disadvantage are on average 2–3 years behind in reading and maths.5
This educational inequality can prevent a child from fulfilling their potential and limit their prospects for the rest of their lives.6
However, there is a proven way to help a child break the cycle of disadvantage. Research shows that early intervention and balanced, ongoing support such as The Smith Family provides can be very effective at improving outcomes for students experiencing poverty.7
During Anti-Poverty Week 2021, Doug Taylor, Smith Family CEO, called for a national framework for reducing child poverty.We need a comprehensive national framework for reducing child poverty, with targets and publicly reported figures so we can measure it over time and determine which policies are most effective.
Now is the time to tackle child poverty as a national priority. Let’s not go back to business-as-usual as we recover from COVID, when we have an opportunity to make things better.
Education is one of the most powerful agents of change
Only around 60% of young people growing up in poverty complete Year 12, compared with 90% from higher socio-economic backgrounds.8
Together, we can address the educational inequality that children face as a direct result of financial disadvantage.
Our evidence-based programs are proven to help children stay engaged in their learning, giving them a greater chance of completing their education to Year 12 (or equivalent).
This, in turn, gives a child greater options for further study and employment – and the chance every young person deserves to pursue their goals and fulfil their potential.
How we help break the cycle of disadvantage
Our Learning for Life programs support children and young people to participate more fully in their education by providing innovative, evidence-based programs and emotional, practical and financial support throughout their schooling and tertiary education.
Our programs give disadvantaged students the skills, motivation and essentials to stay in school and get the most from their education so they can create a better future for themselves.
For $55 per month you can provide a child with essential school supplies, a new uniform and life-changing learning support, so they can fit in and catch up to their peers.
Child sponsorship Breaking poverty: a Smith Family podcast
A hand up, not a hand out
Firsthand stories of how education is playing a role in breaking poverty.
Find out more
1 Poverty in Australia, 2020, ACOSS/UNSW Report.
2 Thomson et al, 2011, Challenges for Australian Education: Results from PISA 2009.
3 Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2011, Review of school funding final report.
4 Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority 2012. National Report on Schooling in Australia 2010: Additional statistics.
5 Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2008, Review of Australian Higher Education Final Report.
6 Access Economics 2005, The economic benefit of increased participation in education and training. Dusseldorp Skills Forum and Business Council of Australia, Sydney.