This study aims to find more knowledge about preschool teachers’ point of view on the situation of children living in economic hardship and how it affects them at the preschool. With economic hardship becoming more frequent and common amongst families with young children we find the subject important and in need of more attention. Studies have proven the negative effects of poverty on children’s development and health and since the preschool is a big part of children’s everyday life the study aims to see what perspectives practitioners have on the issue and how they plan activities and learning situations based on the needs of these children. What pre-conditions the preschool teachers need is also of great signifigcance to the study. Earlier research articles are pointing out the negative effects of poverty, the importance of preschool practitioners attitudes towards these choldren and effects of society’s norms and how they create abnormality for children. Interview is used as a method to gather the preschool teachers’ opinions, thoughts and experiences of the subject. The results showed that preschool teachers had different views, and experiences, on how the children were affected in preschool by the family’s economic hardship. They also had both different and similar opinions on how the preschool could help these children and their parents as well as similar views on how the preschool could improve their resources to benefit and support children in economic hardship at the preschool. Further broad and longitudinal research in this area is needed.

Barnfattigdomen är ett samhällsproblem som är högaktuellt i media och i samhällsdebatten. Syftet med studien var att få en ökad kunskap om de fattiga barnens situation i Sverige, detta för att kunna ta fram empowermentstrategier som skulle kunna underlätta för dem, utifrån ett socialpedagogiskt förhållningssätt. Uppsatsen är upplagd som en litteraturstudie och genom textanalys har vi sökt svar på frågorna: Vilken problematik möter de fattiga barnen i hemmet, i skolan och på fritiden? Hur hanterar barnen sin situation? Hur ser barnens behov ut? Kan vi underlätta för barnen och i så fall på vilket sätt? I vår resultatdel tittade vi på vilken problematik fattiga barn möter och hur de hanterar det.  Resultatet visar att de möter begränsningar och upplever känslor av skam, i jämförelse med andra barn. Skolan visade sig vara en central arena där problematiken var tydlig. Barnen bär mycket inom sig och har en ekonomisk medvetenhet. För att hantera problematiken använder de sig av olika strategier som att minska sina behov, dölja sin situation osv. I analysen lyfts barnens behov fram utifrån empowerment och tidigare forskning.  Det framkom att barnen behöver stärkas och få möjligheter till deltagande. Vi avslutar med en diskussion om hur vi kan underlätta för de fattiga barnen. De professionella, t.ex. inom skolan, behöver bli medvetna om strukturer som finns och som skapar ett utanförskap. / Child poverty is a social problem that is highly topical in the media and in public debate.The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the situation of the poor children in Sweden, this in order to develop empowerment strategies that could help them, from a social pedagogic approach. Our essay is written as a literature review and through text analysis we have sought answers to the questions: What problems do the children living in poverty face in their homes, at school and in their spare time? How do they handle their situation? What are the needs of these children? Can we make it easier for them and if so, in what way? In our result we looked at the problems poor children face and how they handle them. The result shows that they encounter limitations and experience feelings of shame, in comparison with other children. The school was found to be a central arena where the problems were obvious. Children bear much inwardly, and have an economic consciousness. To deal with problems they use different strategies to reduce their needs, to hide their situation and so on. In the analysis the children's needs, based on empowerment and previous research, are highlighted. It was found that the children need to be strengthened and given opportunities to participate. We conclude with a discussion on how we can facilitate for the children living in poverty. The professionals, for example at schools, need to be aware of structures that exist and which create a sense of exclusion.