Learning After School - The Impacts of Parent's Education and Social and Economic Status on Children's Learning Attitudes and Activities

Xiang Gao, University of Washington

Anti child poverty programs generally emphasize the financial supports to the low-income families. However, the persistency and the high return rate of child poverty indicate that some causations and resolutions besides the monetary factor needs to be considered. Exploring the dynamics of intergenerational transfers is helpful to find out causations and resolutions of child poverty. Using child and household level data with children 10 to 21 from National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, I examine the relationship between parents’ education level, social economic status and non-material transfers to children. I hypothesize that parents with higher human capital are more likely to make human and social capital investment on children in the forms of more encouraging children’s after school learning activities and more concerning children’s learning behaviors. The relationship is stronger as children grew up. Interactions with children’s sibling compositions are examined and implications for child well-being are discussed.