Sharing from email from the National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives:

Dear friends,

These investigators review scientific data suggesting there is a “biological poverty line” for infants in the first year that, when reached, negatively impacts their growth and functioning. Poverty is associated with conditions and experiences that do not adequately foster healthy development, with implications for long-term outcomes.  They suggest the determination of poverty lines should be informed by this developmental evidence; i.e., below this level of income, infants do poorly, whereas above this line, infancy is enhanced by positive experiences.  This approach promises to give every child the opportunity to thrive.

Access the paper here.