On average, children in poverty have lower I.Q. scores than their wealthier peers. Recent research has made it clear that just the stress of growing up in a poor family can be toxic to the growing brain.
.. in 2011, 1.5 million families with children lived on $2 per person a day.
.. Per-child cash allowances may have the greatest impact. They do not change if you find work; they are generally larger than standard welfare payments; and they don’t have eligibility requirements.
.. Cash allowances in Europe and Canada, for example, are usually unconditional. In Canada the allowance is up to about $230 a month per child.