NAA & Reflection on Poverty in Albany

Getting to work in Albany with not only children is something that I love. It's important to see the dynamics of a family when working in any situation if you want to help make change. The highlight of my day was certainly meeting one family that started with one cute little boy, but unfolded to be an amazingly loving and energetic couple of parents with more than seven children!! I love being able to relate all the things we learn in our classes and from programs like Bonner to real life experiences like this.
For example, in the reading about poverty in Albany we learned about the importance of education straight through to adulthood, effects of health care in early childhood, and even hunger in children. It may be easy for students like us to think such things are happening just down the road from us, but we heard board member nominees fighting for such causes for NAA.
Something that truly surprised me was when I learned that more than 10% of families in Ablany are living under extreme poverty. I once had to create a budget based on a four person family getting paid minimum wage and even if every government program and some private programs are utilized it is impossible to live a "normal life." To pay rent, pay bills, and purchase food become daily worries that are impossible on such a budget. As it said in the reading about 30% of the income goes towards rent and 25% to childcare for those under the poverty level.
It seems as though it's very important for us to be aware of such conditions as we work with such populations, but not make it the most important. I could have thought about the conditions that some of these children are going through, or I could have had fun with them!! Clearly the second option was the better option.