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Expanding Preschool Access for Children of Immigrants.
Urban Institute Research Report.
Greenberg, Erica.
Michie, Molly.
Adams, Gina.
Urban Institute.
Technical Report
x, 59 p.
Copyright
Published: February 2018
Urban Institute
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Available From:http://www.urban.org
Download: https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/96546/expanding_preschool_access_for_children_of_immigrants_0.pdf
This report presents the findings from a study that explored strategies in four communities with unusually high rates of preschool enrollment among low-income immigrant families and negligible gaps in enrollment between children of immigrants and children of US-born parents. It focuses on children’s involvement in State-funded preschool initiatives in Dearborn, Michigan; Atlanta, Georgia; King County, Washington; and Houston, Texas. The analyses are based on individual and group interviews with 134 parents from immigrant families and 106 stakeholders across the four study sites, conducted between November 2016 and February 2017. Most parents had children enrolled in public preschool, but parents of preschool-age children who were not enrolled despite sharing common backgrounds with and living in the same communities as the enrolled children also participated. Findings emerged across eight key themes that include parental knowledge and preferences, language access, program logistics, welcoming efforts, enrollment supports, program resources, financing, and leadership, and organization and agency partnerships. Ten recommendations are discussed for State and local policymakers working to expand preschool access for children of immigrants. The following recommendations are made: building trust is essential, there is no one best approach, start small, leverage all available resources, partnerships are essential, support the whole family, commit to continuous improvement, leadership is key and can come from any level, mind the gaps, and consider preschool within the broader immigrant experience. 35 references.
Keywords:
children of immigrants; minority groups; outreach; preschool children; early childhood education; barriers; cultural competency; guidelines; environmental influences; parent engagement