In this video, sociologist Katherine Jewsbury Conger discusses how poverty and economic hardship impact parents and their children. Early childhood programs, she says, are important avenues for parents living in poverty to make a contribution and to make connections to their communities.

Conger is a Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at UC Davis and a Faculty Affiliate of the Center for Poverty Research. Her research focuses in part on the links between family stress and adolescent adjustment.