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Source: CLASP
9/2015
How the young children of immigrants experience their early school years may in large part determine their academic future and negatively affect their emotional, social, and mental development. Children benefit from a positive, supportive learning environment where their contributions are valued; many from immigrant families, however, experience discrimination in school during their early, impressionable years.
The experiences that children have in their first classrooms are foundational to how they think about themselves as learners, students, and members of the larger communities around them. Any experiences of discrimination at this vulnerable age can negatively affect personal development and academic trajectories, and limit the emotional benefits of early childhood education.
This report, part of a research series supported by the Foundation for Child Development, maps the types of personal and structural discrimination that young children of immigrants may experience at school, and the consequences of discrimination for children, their families, and schools. It begins by describing how discrimination in the early years can affect a child’s development, academic performance, and later mobility. The report then outlines types of discrimination that young children of immigrants may experience at school. The report concludes with recommendations that focus on training teachers, building relationships between schools and immigrant communities, and encouraging more varied, culturally sensitive learning experiences.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. How Discrimination in School Affects Young Children
A. The Effects of Discrimination on Children’s Development and Academic Performance
B. Discrimination and Parental Engagement in SchoolC. The Role of Local Contexts and Attitudes
III. Types of Discrimination Experienced
A. Personal Forms of Discrimination
B. Structural Forms of Discrimination
IV. Reasons for Discrimination in the Early School Years
A. Lack of Meaningful Connections with Immigrant Communities
B. Focus on Immigrant Families’ Deficits Rather than Assets
C. Inadequate Teacher Preparation and Recruitment
D. Testing Pressures in the Early Grades
E. Negative Labels and Concerns over School Readiness
V. Recommendations
Source: Migration Policy Institute
Available at: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/impact-discrimination-early-schooling-experiences-children-immigrant-families
3/2105
The United States is witnessing two major trends in its rising cohorts of young children preparing to start school: an increase in the utilization of formal (e.g., center-based) childcare options in the year before starting kindergarten and an increase in the share of these young children who come from immigrant families. Given that many children from immigrant families start school at a disadvantage relative to native-born children, researchers, policy makers, and practitioners have inquired into which prekindergarten alternatives might be most effective at boosting school readiness for this group of children.
Source: University of California Center, Sacramento
Available at: http://uccs.ucdavis.edu/Bacon2015brief.pdf
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is the process that offers relief from removal for undocumented residents who meet certain conditions. When parents and families are approved through DACA, they are able to work legally. They also do not need to worry about being immediately deported. Those who received DACA approval in 2012 will need to reapply for another two-year period.
Use this toolkit from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to learn more about DACA eligibility. It outlines the process new and current DACA recipients need to follow to apply. Agencies who work with undocumented residents can use this toolkit to raise awareness about DACA and its process. It offers tips around the critical reapplication process for people who were DACA-approved in 2012. Select this link for the complete version of the DACA Toolkit: Resources for Community Partners [PDF, 969KB]
Source: Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center
8/22/2014
Schools in the United States have always welcomed new immigrant children to their classrooms – according to the most recent data, there were more than 840,000 immigrant students in the United States, and more than 4.6 million English learners. We have begun to receive inquiries regarding educational services for a specific group of immigrant children who have been in the news – children from Central America who have recently crossed the U.S. – Mexico border. This fact sheet provides information to help education leaders better understand the responsibilities of States and local educational agencies LEAs in connection with such students, and the existing resources available to help educate all immigrant students – including children who recently arrived in the United States.
Source: U.S. Department of Education
Available at: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/rights/guid/unaccompanied-children.html
3/19/2014
Outreach
Children of immigrants can benefit from attending prekindergarten, though they enroll less, on average, than children with US-born parents. This fact sheet focuses on outreach strategies to support prekindergarten enrollment for children of immigrants — specifically those for identifying immigrant families, promoting programs, and sustaining outreach. It is one of three factsheets, all summarizing findings from Supporting Immigrant Families’ Access to Prekindergarten. This detailed report draws on interviews conducted with more than 40 prekindergarten directors and staff, directors of early childhood education programs, and other specialists to present strategies for improving prekindergarten enrollment among immigrant families and English Language Learners.
Available at: http://www.urban.org/publications/413064.html
Enrollment Strategies
Children of immigrants can benefit from attending prekindergarten, though they enroll less, on average, than children with US-born parents. This fact sheet focuses on outreach strategies to support prekindergarten enrollment for children of immigrants — specifically those for identifying immigrant families, promoting programs, and sustaining outreach. It is one of three factsheets, all summarizing findings from Supporting Immigrant Families’ Access to Prekindergarten. This detailed report draws on interviews conducted with more than 40 prekindergarten directors and staff, directors of early childhood education programs, and other specialists to present strategies for improving prekindergarten enrollment among immigrant families and English Language Learners.
Source: http://www.urban.org/publications/413065.html
Building Relationships
Children of immigrants can benefit from attending prekindergarten, though they enroll less, on average, than children with US-born parents. This fact sheet focuses on outreach strategies to support prekindergarten enrollment for children of immigrants — specifically those for identifying immigrant families, promoting programs, and sustaining outreach. It is one of three factsheets, all summarizing findings from Supporting Immigrant Families’ Access to Prekindergarten. This detailed report draws on interviews conducted with more than 40 prekindergarten directors and staff, directors of early childhood education programs, and other specialists to present strategies for improving prekindergarten enrollment among immigrant families and English Language Learners.
Available at: http://www.urban.org/publications/413066.html
Source: Urban Institute
7/24/2013
There are significant disparities in the education, economic well-being, and health of children in the U.S. based on their race-ethnicity and whether or not their parents are immigrants, according to Diverse Children: Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration in America’s New Non-Majority Generation, the first report ever to draw these comparisons.
The report details the wellbeing of children in eight groups, distinguished by their race-ethnicity and whether they are children of immigrants or children of U.S.-born parents. It examines well-being across 19 key indicators that address family economic resources, health, educational attainments, and demographic circumstances.
“The data show the important advantages that immigrant families bring to this country and the strong foundation they give to their children,” says Donald J. Hernandez, author of the report. “But we also found evidence of enormous disparities in child well-being, along not only immigration lines, but also along race-ethnicity lines.”
Among the many findings, the report reveals that:
Hispanic children with immigrant parents were found to be just as likely to live with a securely employed parent as Hispanic children with U.S.-born parents, and substantially more likely to live with two parents and to be born healthy. They are, nevertheless more likely to live in poverty, to lack PreKindergarten education and health insurance, and to die between the ages of 1 and 19.
Children of immigrants (as compared to those with U.S.-born parents) in each of the race-ethnic groups, in fact, were found to be at least as likely to have a securely employed parent, more likely to be born at a healthy birth weight and to survive the first year of life, and more likely to live in a two-parent family. It is also true of each race-ethnic group that children of immigrants were found less likely to be covered by health insurance or to be enrolled in PreKindergarten.
Hispanic children of immigrant parents and Black children of U.S.-born parents fell behind all other groups for nearly half of all indicators studied. They were most at risk of growing up in poverty or near-poverty, of living in a family with low median income, at highest risk for child mortality (ages 1-19), and least likely to have very good or excellent health.
When it comes to education, all groups of U.S. children were found to be at risk, regardless of their race-ethnicity and whether their parents were born in the U.S. There were critically low rates of reading and math proficiency across the board; the lowest rates were for Hispanic and Black children. PreKindergarten enrollment was also low for all groups, and extremely low for Hispanic children — especially those with immigrant parents.
The report puts these findings in the context of a new milestone in U.S. history: Today’s population of American children is more diverse than ever, and children of immigrants account for one out of every four children in the United States; most children of immigrants (89 percent) are American citizens.
The report includes detailed policy recommendations for improving the lives and wellbeing of children, especially those most at risk. Recommendations include expanding access to and enhancing early education, removing barriers to health insurance so that all children are covered, and providing families with ways to improve their economic security and future prospects.
Source: Foundation for Child Development
Available at: http://fcd-us.org/resources/race-ethnicity-and-immigration-report#node-1360
7/2013
A preponderance of evidence points to an Immigrant paradox in education: the children of immigrants perform better than expected and often even outperform their peers with US-born parents. However, this evidence is largely drawn from high school students. Data on the performance of children entering elementary school is more mixed, often pointing to greater risks among the children of immigrants.
School readiness-the skills children bring with them at kindergarten entry – is a particular cause of concern, especially for those with Latin American origins. Findings regarding the health of young immigrant children are similarly mixed, and also depart from the immigrant paradox. As with educational performance, children of immigrants appear to be more at risk for health problems during the preschool and elementary school years than during adolescence. Health problems during early childhood may be associated with poorer educational performance, as children are more likely to be absent and less likely to be fully attentive in school when sick.
Source: Migration Policy Institute
Available at: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/COI-EarlyAcademicSuccess.pdf
2013
This handbook, RaisingYoung Children in a New Country: Supporting Early Learning and Healthy Development, is an adaptation of the original handbook, Raising Children in a New Country: An Illustrated Handbook, and focuses on refugee families parenting children from the prenatal period through age 5. It provides families with information about: healthy development; early learning and school readiness; and family engagement in early care.This handbook brings together the dual expertise of the Refugee Resettlement and the early childhood Head Start/Early Head Start communities, and it is intended as a resource for all those serving refugee families. This handbook is part of a larger Refugee Resettlement-Head Start Collaboration Toolkit developed to promote partnerships between Refugee Resettlement and Head Start programs.This innovative and valuable joint effort represents the collaboration between the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and the Office of Head Start (OHS): the federal funders for Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS), and the National Center on Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness (NCCLR).
Source: Early Childhood Knowledge and Learning Center
Available at: http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/cultural-linguistic/docs/raising-young-children-in-a-new-country-bryc5.pdf
4/2013
Immigration reform is a hot topic on Capitol Hill – and Congress should seize the moment to extend health coverage to every child in America. That’s the conclusion of Children’s Health Fund’s report, “Why Immigrant Children Must Have Access to Health Care – and How to Get There.”
Most health programs exclude unauthorized immigrants. And even those who come to the U.S. legally often face barriers to care, such as five-year residency requirements. Removing those barriers isn’t just the ethical thing to do – it makes sense for our country, the report finds. When children get their health problems treated earlier, they avoid more serious illnesses – and the severe financial toll those illnesses can take on our economy. Healthy kids also do better in school and have a greater chance of reaching their full potential as adults and productive citizens.
Congress is considering amendments to remove some of these barriers to care. Unless it acts, nearly 900,000 non-citizen children will lack access to health care in 2014 – even after the Affordable Care Act takes effect. Read the report to learn more, and visit our Advocacy Action Center to contact lawmakers!
Source: Children’s Health Fund
Available at: http://www.childrenshealthfund.org/blog/health-care-immigrant-children-smart-investment-report&autologin=true
Early Childhood News Update 