About this episode
Born Poor follows the lives of children from the documentary Poor Kids as they navigate adulthood while dealing with the impacts of poverty.
More than a decade ago, the Emmy-nominated documentary Poor Kids explored poverty in the United States as it’s rarely seen: through the eyes of children. Born Poor tells the stories of the same children, now grown, chronicling their lives from childhood to the present day. The 90-minute documentary follows Kaylie, Johnny and Brittany across three chapters of their lives as they grow from kids to teenagers to adults, trying to pursue their dreams while dealing with an economy where they face more obstacles than opportunities — and trying to overcome the grinding poverty that shaped their childhoods.
Topics covered
- poverty
- childhood
- documentary
- personal stories
- economic challenges
Keywords
- poverty
- documentary
- children
- adulthood
- economic obstacles
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Poor Kids
More episodes of FRONTLINE: Film Audio Track | PBS
- The President vs. the Fed · May 27, 2026 · 53 min
- The Deal: Trump, Bukele & the Gangs of El Salvador · May 5, 2026 · 53 min
- Caught In The Crackdown · April 28, 2026 · 54 min
- Strike On Iran: The Nuclear Question · April 3, 2026 · 53 min
- From The Archives: The Mueller Investigation · March 24, 2026 · 55 min
- Remaking The Middle East · March 14, 2026 · 1h 59m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the FRONTLINE: Film Audio Track | PBS podcast page.