The Smith Family
Originally established in 1922 to provide traditional welfare services, The Smith Family today is a national independent children's charity, working in partnership with other caring Australians to unlock opportunities for disadvantaged children and their families, using education as the key.
It's easy to fall through the cracks.
Changes in family structure, the workplace, and across society at large are impacting negatively on children's wellbeing. Tougher financial times are seeing a growing number of families falling between the cracks and increased hardship for those already struggling.
Sadly, 680,000 Australian children are living in disadvantage1 and without access to the same educational, health or life opportunities that many of us enjoy and often take for granted.
Without support, the disadvantage they experience today is likely to continue into adulthood - and on to the next generation.
Breaking the cycle of disadvantage
Research shows supporting children's education and learning is one of the most effective means of breaking the cycle of disadvantage:
- Every year of schooling increases individual wages for both men and women by a worldwide average of about 10%, while also increasing the broader productivity of a nation such as Australia by up to 6%.2
- Poverty rates amongst those aged 15 years and over in Australia decline sharply as educational qualifications increase.3
- Young people not participating in education between 16 and 18 are more likely to experience depression and poor physical health by the age of 21.4
That's why today we focus on providing these kids with support to make the most of their education and learning opportunities. Today more than 30,000 children receive support through our Learning for Life suite of literacy programs that provide financial assistance and access to a network of support such as mentoring and tutoring to enable these kids to develop the skills they need to escape the cycle of disadvantage.
For more information about The Smith Family and how we help please visit www.thesmithfamily.com.au or join us on Facebook or Twitter to become a member of our online family.
How you can help
Monthly giving program »
Your regular contribution at less than $1 per day will help provide disadvantaged children with school essentials such as uniforms, books and shoes and access to education and learning support programs.
Make a donation »
Your contribution will help us to deliver our suite of education and learning support programs in community to help unlock opportunities for disadvantaged kids and families.
Volunteer »
Without volunteers much of our work would not be possible. Donate your time, talent and expertise for an extremely rewarding way to give back to the community.
References
- ABS data available on request. Survey of Income and Housing 2005-06.
- OECD (2003) cited in Business Council of Australia (2007) Restoring Our Edge in Education: Making Australia's Education System its Next Competitive Advantage.
- Senate Community Affairs References Committee (2004) Report on Poverty and Hardship.
- UK Department for Education and Skills Raising Expectations Green Paper March 2007.
- Jack Shonkoff and Deborah Phillips From Neurons to Neighbourhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development 2000.
