Laura is a single mother of four who often must choose between food and paying the electricity bill. "Some weeks we're good, some weeks we're down and I have to go into the community and ask for vouchers," she says. The cost of living has skyrocketed since the pandemic. "It's crazy, and it's getting crazier … it’s continuous every year. Everything is going up and up and up," Laura adds. Research by The Smith Family, released on Thursday, shows 90% of low-income families worry about affording back-to-school items due to inflation. The survey included over 1,100 parents and carers supported by the charity. For the third year in a row, more than 80% reported they could not afford school essentials. This confirms the findings of a Curtin University report that found 102,000 more children fell into poverty between 2020 and 2023. The child poverty rate is expected to rise from 15% in 2023 to 15.6% in 2025. The report warns this could mean over one million Australian children will be living in poverty soon. Doug Taylor, CEO of The Smith Family, said, "One in six children in Australia now growing up in poverty risk a detrimental flow-on effect for their education." He warned that by Year 9, disadvantaged students can be four to five years behind in literacy and numeracy compared to their peers. Taylor also noted the distress families face starting the school year under tough financial pressure. "The burden for a parent or carer to start the school year feeling the pressure of having to cut corners in so many areas is a pressure that no family should really face," he said. The survey found 56% of families expect their children to miss out on digital devices. Around 40% believe their kids will skip extracurricular activities or lack proper uniforms and shoes. Despite 14,000 laptops being distributed in the last seven years, 44% of students still have no internet at home. Taylor stressed the need to close the digital divide and increase access to out-of-school support like tutoring. These extras are crucial for keeping disadvantaged students engaged and improving their learning. For Laura, the biggest challenges now are buying uniforms, shoes, and funding sports, music, and school camps. Thanks to help from The Smith Family, her children get laptops and internet access. "Otherwise they’d just be using the internet off my phone, which would be impossible," she says. "That just makes it so much harder for them, because all the homework and correspondence with the school is online now. They would just miss out because I can’t afford them."