Making Cents: Covid-19 is already impacting children from poorer families

The new school year can be  time of excitement. However, it can also be a time of great financial stress. 

Many parents find back to school time even more financially difficult than Christmas time. File picture: Pexels

The beginning of the new school year is an optimistic time in many ways. Even some adults long gone from education still get that fresh start feeling and find themselves tempted to buy new stationary and make new plans.

However, for all but the most financially secure of families, it can also be a time of high stress. Anna Lane, a coordinator for the Money Advice & Budgeting Service (Mabs) in the Cork area, tells me that for many parents this is the most difficult time of year financially, more so even than Christmas.