首页
登录
职称英语
Parenthood should be affordable in this country, but the cost of raising a ch
Parenthood should be affordable in this country, but the cost of raising a ch
游客
2023-12-21
20
管理
问题
Parenthood should be affordable in this country, but the cost of raising a child from birth to adulthood is now a quarter of a million dollars and projected to double by the time today’s toddlers reach their teens. Will having kids soon be out of reach economically for many American families? A recent report from the Center for American Progress found that middle-class families are feeling an unprecedented economic squeeze—caught between stagnating wages and the exploding cost of basics like housing, healthcare and children’s education. Most families, it seems, are getting by on less and living closer to the financial edge to help their kids grow up healthy and get ahead.
The most striking growth in costs to families has been in child care, where expenses have climbed about $ 200 annually in each of the last dozen years, with nearly tenfold growth since the 1960s. Child care, on average, consumes $ 1 of every $ 5 in a family’s budget and exceeds the typical rent in every state. In terms of their kids’ health, families increasingly have to choose between treating their children’s medical needs and paying household bills. Despite gains in the percentage of children with health insurance, per capita medical spending on kids has quietly ballooned faster than for any other age group, with families paying more for premiums and steeper out-of-pocket expenses.
For evidence to suggest that middle-class parents might already be getting priced out of parenthood, look to the national birthrate. It fell sharply in the recession but, unlike in previous economic rebounds, has continued to drop. This makes sense in financial context, given that most families haven’t seen their incomes grow since the recovery began and the median net worth of households has actually fallen below what it was 15 years ago. Most families today don’t have enough saved to meet basic needs for three months, let alone save for college or retirement. For folks in the middle class, the economic calculus of raising kids must be daunting. Not only are the costs unaffordable, but parents also face a harsh ultimatum: "Keep up with the Gateses" or risk your children’s health, achievement and long-term well-being.
Higher-income families spend six times more than working-class families on child care and educational resources, such as high-quality day care, summer camps, computers and private schools, which are increasingly indispensable investments in long-term success. This spending inequity has tripled over the last four decades and is only accelerating, which is likely to widen the achievement gap, creating a vicious cycle. The public education infrastructure, designed generations ago to drive a strong economy and give every child an equal footing for success, is crumbling from neglect—stuck between those who argue for repair and those who argue for redesign. As a consequence, it is unable to prepare most kids for the new economy. The statistics are grim: Two-thirds of preschoolers don’t have access to high-quality child care, two-thirds of public school students fail to meet math and language proficiency by eighth grade, and two-thirds of public high schoolers aren’t ready for college when they graduate.
To solve these problems we have increasingly relied on a public safety net designed to catch what used to be a small number of kids falling through the cracks. But over the last 50 years those cracks have become chasms. When funding constraints force programs such as Early Head Start to enroll just 4% of eligible children needing early intervention and half of pediatricians opt out of accepting kids on Medicaid, these are clear signs that it’s time to rethink our approach. These economic realities are contributing to a swift loss of academic opportunity, health prospects and upward mobility among children whose parents cannot afford to spend top dollar. With this de facto economic segregation of opportunity leaving working families in the economic dust, we are risking the prosperity and social mobility of our kids for years to come.
We should be reinvesting in working families and modernizing our public infrastructure. Not only would this make parenthood more feasible, it also makes good economic sense. We know that investing early in kids yields considerable savings by reducing chronic health problems, building stable families and increasing earning potential. The opportunity to raise healthy, smart and successful kids shouldn’t be an economic luxury. It’s time we made parenthood affordable again by investing more in kids and families. Given that what’s at stake is the success of our country, the alternative is unaffordable. [br] Paraphrase the last sentence of the passage: "Given that what’s at stake is the success of our country, the alternative is unaffordable. "
选项
答案
at stake: at risk, depending on what happens / the future of the country is closely related to the education of children/younger generation / "to raise healthy, smart and successful kids" should be greatly encouraged and stimulated / great significance of high quality child care and education / the opposite situation of spending gaps + inequity should he largely narrowed + eliminated/ should not he allowed /a summary of the last paragraph and the passage / the major theme of the article
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3293786.html
相关试题推荐
[originaltext]Now,shouldalibrarybeaquietplacetoreadabookorali
Nowpeoplebelievethatboththeirgovernmentsandindividualsshouldpracticej
Nowpeoplebelievethatboththeirgovernmentsandindividualsshouldpracticej
Nowpeoplebelievethatboththeirgovernmentsandindividualsshouldpracticej
Whatdidthespeakerexpectoflifeinacountrytown?[br][originaltext]I
Whatdidthespeakerexpectoflifeinacountrytown?[br][originaltext]I
Whatdidthespeakerexpectoflifeinacountrytown?[originaltext]Inthe
Whatdidthespeakerexpectoflifeinacountrytown?[br][originaltext]I
Whatdidthespeakerexpectoflifeinacountrytown?[br][originaltext]I
Whatdidthespeakerexpectoflifeinacountrytown?[originaltext]Inthe
随机试题
Utopiaisaperfectplace.Itisaplacewithoutwar,hunger,poverty,orcr
长江,又名扬子江(theYangtzeRiver),全长6300多千米,是中国第一大河,世界第三大河。长江发源于青藏高原(theQinghai-T
友谊需要滋养。有的人用钱,有的人用汗,还有的人用血。友谊是很贪婪的,绝不会满足于餐风饮露。友谊是最简朴同时也是最奢侈的营养,需要用时间去灌溉。友谊必须述
投资者王某购入一债券,20年期,其面值为1000元,它发行时的价格为850元,没
A.溃疡 B.特殊黏膜 C.咀嚼黏膜 D.糜烂 E.被覆黏膜位于颊、唇、
慢性鼻窦炎的治疗方案包括A.局部鼻用糖皮质激素 B.鼻腔冲洗 C.鼻窦负压置
163、当一条母线停电时相位比较式母差保护应改()。(A)有选;(B)非选
某社区“劳释”人员比较多,而每个“劳释”人员的情况又各不相同,社会工作者根据不同
血栓闭塞性脉管炎的治疗为( )。A.高位结扎及剥脱术 B.旁路转流术 C.
将一个子项目进度计划分解为若干个工作项,属于项目总进度目标论证工作的()。A.
最新回复
(
0
)