Excellent article by Katherine Boo in the New Yorker about a new program that attempts to stop the cycle of poverty by using nurses to teach young mothers how to be good parents. These nurses enter the homes and the lives of these young women, some of whom don’t really want to hear the lectures. They give basic parenting lessons, like how to talk to infants, and also berate the mothers into getting their GEDs and getting themselves a steady man.

Despite its success, this program has had many critics, including those who feel that the government interference in the home is wrong and those who worry that this programs will take away from schools and daycare programs.

I think this program sounds great, but I think it’s a mistake to assume that the sole cause of poverty is the bad habits of poor people. They need more than a stern, matronly woman to instruct them to read to their kid. Programs like this one have to be supplemented with jobs programs and school reform.

Still, this is a fascinating article.