Parents Cut Corners in Poor Economy

Making Tough Family Choices

Cauthen said even the kinds of "things" the NCCP knows happen aren't very encouraging.

"We know, when families are running out of money for food, that parents will tend to cut back on their own meals before they'll cut back on their own children's," said Cauthen.

However, when it comes to health care, Cauthen said everybody in the family usually suffers. If parents lose their jobs, they often lose their health insurance. Then, parents don't take their children for checkups, possibly missing vital red flags for developmental problems.

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"If that baby isn't getting ... checkups, you can think about how that can snowball," said Cauthen.

In the Florida case, doctors discovered that Barton was 4 pounds underweight.

Cauthen said parents also often wait until a child gets really sick before seeing a doctor.

"Waiting to go to the doctor until something is serious ... that can turn a cold into bronchitis in the emergency room," she said.

Even if parents have jobs, Cauthen said a bad economy can cause children's health to suffer.

"We know that people lose jobs if they don't show up because they need to take a kid to the doctor," said Cauthen. "So, sometimes parents will send their children to school sick. And, of course, that just exposes other children."

With a bad economy, Cauthen said, "parents are going to be more fearful than before to not show up."

Denise Bonitto, Harrison's neighbor in Yonkers, knows she can't afford to lose too many days at work or she'll lose her welfare benefits.

"I get up every morning, and I deal with seniors at the senior citizen center," said Bonitto.

For 20 hours a week, Bonitto, 46, feeds seniors their meals and plans activities for them.

"I enjoy the work, but at the same token, I wish I could get a paycheck for it," said Bonitto. "I have to work for my 'outgoing needs' welfare check."