Early Care and Education Experiences for Children of

Early Care and Education Experiences for Children of Hispanic Origin in Maryland

July 2012

Lillian M. Lowery, Ed.D.State Superintendent of Schools

James H. DeGraffenreidt, Jr.President, Maryland State Board of Education

Rolf Grafwallner, Ph.D.Assistant State Superintendent Division of Early Childhood Development

Martin O’MalleyGovernor

The Maryland State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, color, creed, gender identity and expression, genetic information, marital status, disability, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation in matters affecting employment or in providing access to programs. For inquiries related to departmental policy, please contact:

Equity Assurance and Compliance BranchMaryland State Department of Education200 W. Baltimore Street – 6th FloorBaltimore, Maryland 21201-2595410.767.0433 (voice)410.767.0431 (fax)410.333.6442 (TTY/TDD)

For more information about this publication, contact:Maryland State Department of EducationDivision of Early Childhood Development200 West Baltimore StreetBaltimore, Maryland 21201410-767-0335

www.marylandpublicschools.org

© Maryland State Department of Education 2012

CONTENTS

Introduction........................................................................................................................... 1

LanguageandLiteracyDevelopment..................................................................................... 2AnUrgentDemographicImperative....................................................................................... 2Povertyvs.EarlyLiteracyDevelopment................................................................................ 3UniqueLinguisticandImmigrationProfile............................................................................ 4

Child Care and Early Education Needs............................................................................. 6

WorkforceIssues..................................................................................................................... 6ImmigrationandEarlyCareandEducation............................................................................ 9EducationalChallenges........................................................................................................... 10EnglishLanguageFluencyandSchoolPerformance............................................................. 11

How Are Hispanic Children Best Served by Early Education Programs?...................... 12

MarylandModelforSchoolReadiness................................................................................... 12UsingtheMMSRKindergartenAssessment.......................................................................... 13CollaborativeSystems............................................................................................................ 14

Closing the Gap: Programs that Work ............................................................................. 15

TheSilverSpringJudyCenter/OutreachEffortforHispanicFamilies:MontgomeryCounty 16EBLO/EducationBasedLatinoOutreach:BaltimoreCity.................................................... 16LatinoProviderNetwork:BaltimoreCityMetroArea.......................................................... 16MontgomeryHousingPartnership:MontgomeryCounty...................................................... 16PadresyAlumnosLatinosenAccion(PALA)LatinoParentsandStudentsinAction.......... 17MidAtlanticEquityConsortium,Inc.:Mid-AtlanticRegion................................................. 17MarylandStateParentalInformationResourceCenter......................................................... 18CentroNia,TakomaPark......................................................................................................... 18VocabularyImprovementandOralLanguageEnrichmentthroughStories(VIOLETS)....... 18

Conclusion............................................................................................................................. 20

References............................................................................................................................. 22

Acknowledgments................................................................................................................. 24


July30,2012

DearColleague:

Inthepastdecade,Hispanicshavebecomethefastestgrowingandyoungestracial/ethnicgroupinMaryland.ThenumberofHispanicchildrenasaproportionofallchildrenhasbeenincreasingmorerapidlythanthenumberofnon-Hispanic,White,andAfrican-Americanchildrenforallagegroups.Yet,despitetheirlargenumbersattheelementary,middleandhighschoollevels,youngchildren,birthtoagefive,areunderrepresentedinearlyeducationprograms.

ThishasprofoundimplicationsforMaryland’spubliceducationsystemasitstrivestoprepareworld-classstudentsandtomaintain

thestatusof#1inthenation.Forthatreason,itismypleasuretosharewithyouEarlyCareandEducationforChildrenofHispanicOrigininMaryland:StudyontheContextofSchoolReadiness.

Thisreport:• Presentsresearchsupportingtheimportanceoftheconnectionbetweenearlyliteracyskills

developmentandlaterliteracyachievementandtheimpactofinstructionalinterventionsonchildren’slearning;

• Outlinesacogentcaseforthe“demographicimperative”thatHispanicchildrenagebirthtoeightyearsposeforMaryland’spubliceducationsystem’sblueprinttomaintainitsplaceasanationalleaderandtostrivetowardworld-classstatus;

• RevealsthebarrierswhichimpedeparticipationinearlychildhoodprogramsforyoungchildrenofHispanicorigin;

• HighlightssolutionsbypresentingsuccessfulearlyeducationprogramsinMaryland;and• Proposespoliciesandresearchimplicationstoaddresstheeducationalchallengesofyoung

childrenofHispanicorigininMaryland.

IambothheartenedbyourState’sprogressandmotivatedtocontinueactivelyexploringanddevelopingeffectiveandscalablestrategiestoincreaseschoolengagementandlearningforallchildren.Onbehalfofallwhohaveworkedsohardtoseethatourchildrenhaveeverypossibleopportunitytosucceed,IurgeyoutousethisindispensiblereportvigorouslytopromoteschoolreadinessforallofMaryland’syoungchildren.

Sincerely,

LillianM.Lowery,Ed.D.StateSuperintendentofSchools

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Maryland State Department of Education - Preparing World-Class Students

ThistrendhasprofoundimplicationsforMaryland’spubliceducationsystem’sblueprinttomaintainitsplaceasanationalleaderandstrivetowardworld-classstatus.Forthepastfouryears,Maryland’spublicschoolshavebeenrankedasthenation’sbest.Overthepastthreedecades“Marylandhasbuiltastrongfoundation,policybypolicy,throughtwowavesofreformtoachievenationalstatusasaleaderineducationalexcellence.”(Maryland’s3rdWaveofReform,MSDE,2010,p.1).Duringthefirstwaveofreform(1989-2002)theStateimplementedacomprehensivesystemofpublicassessmentandaccountabilitytoholdschools,localschoolsystems,andthestateaccountableforstudentachievement.Anambitioussecondwaveofreform(2002-2009)includedasignificantincreaseinstatefundingforallschools,increasedaccountability,anewearlychildhoodgovernanceandinfrastructure,developmentofastatewidepre-kto12curriculum,alternativepathwaysforHighSchoolstudents,andstrongerpreparationanddevelopmentprogramsforschoolleadersandteachers.Atthepresenttime,Marylandispreparingtolaunchitsthirdwaveofreform—tocreateaworld-classsystemthatpreparesstudentsforcollegeandcareersuccessinthe21stcentury.World-classmeansrecognizingandactingonthenewrealitythatahighschooldiplomaisjustthestartingpoint;everystudentmustbepreparedto

succeedincollegeortheworkplace(Maryland’s3rdWaveofReform, 2010,p.1).

Yet, how might this transformational demographic shift impact Maryland’s plans to retain its #1 status nationally and achieve world-class status?

ThisdemographicshiftposeseducationalchallengesthatmustbeaddressedtobringMaryland’seducationalsystemtothenextlevel.Theyaremanifestedfirstamongyoungchildrenfrombirththroughage5.InthatagerangeHispanicsarethefastestgrowingracial/ethnicgroupintheState(MarylandStateDepartmentofEducation,TitleIII/ELLSpringBriefing,May,2010).

INTRODUCTION

ThedramaticgrowthoftheHispanicpopulationinthestateofMarylandhasbeguntoalterthelandscapeandithascriticalimplicationsforthepresentandfutureofeconomicandsocialpolicyinthestate,withparticularemphasisoneducation.Duringthisfirsthalfofthe21stcentury,wearewitnessingademographicshiftthatistransformingnotonlyourstatebutU.S.societyaswell.In2004,theU.S.CensusBureaureportedthattheHispanicpopulationovertooktheAfricanAmericanpopulationasthenation’slargestminoritygroup.Inthefortyyearsbetween1960andtheyear2000,theHispanicpopulationgrewfive-fold,from6.9to35.3million(U.S.CensusBureau,2002,p.8).By2002,oneineightpeopleintheUnitedStateswereofHispanicorigin(Ramirez&delaCruz,2003,p.3).AlthoughMaryland’sHispanicpopulationhasnotyetreachedsuchnumbers,thereareareasofthestatethatareimpactedquitedramaticallyandreflectthenationaltrend.Moreover,theMarylandStateDepartmentofEducation(MSDE)2011-2012studentdatasupportsthistrendshowingsteadyincreasesintheHispanicstudentpopulationthroughoutthetwentyfourschooldistricts(marylandpublicschools.org).

http://www.marylandpublicschools.org

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Thisreportexplorestwomajorissues.

·Significantdemographicshiftwhichcallfora“demographicimperative”thatHispanicchildrenagesbirth-8yearsposeforMaryland’spubliceducationsystem’sblueprinttomaintainitsplaceasanationalleaderandstrivetowardworld-classstatus;

·Identificationofprogramsthatworkandoutlinepotentialbarriersformeetingthe“demographicimperative.”

Accordingtothisreport,thenumberofHispanicchildrenasaproportionofallchildrenhasbeenincreasingthroughoutMarylandmorerapidlythanthenumberofnon-HispanicWhiteandAfrican-Americanchildrenforallagegroups.ThisdemographicshiftdefinesanewimperativeforaddressingtheneedsofHispanicyoungchildrenandtheirfamilies.

Language and Literacy Development

InEarly Beginnings: Early Literacy Knowledge and Instruction,(2002),theNationalEarlyLiteracyPanelidentifiesresearchevidencethathighlightstheimportanceoftheconnectionbetweenearlyliteracyskillsdevelopmentandlaterliteracyachievement,andtheimpactofinstructionalinterventionsonchildren’slearning.Accordingtothereport,“patternsoflearninginpre-schoolarecloselylinkedtolaterachievement:childrenwhodevelopmoreskillsinthepre-schoolyearsperformbetterintheprimarygrades”(p.4).Thedevelopmentofearlyskillsappearedtobeparticularlyimportantintheareaofliteracy,especiallyreading.Providingyoungchildrenwiththecriticalprecursorskillstoreadingcanofferapathtoimprovingoverallschoolachievementlaterastheylearnmorecomplexacademicskills(Children Entering School Ready to Learn: School Readiness Information for School Year 2008-09. p.3).

Thehomesettingalsoplaysapivotalroleinthedevelopmentofimportantskillsthatcanprovide

youngchildrenwiththecornerstonesforthedevelopmentoflateracademicskills(TheNationalEarlyLiteracyPanel,p.4).Evenbeforestartingschool,childrencanbecomeawareofsystematicpatternsofsoundsinany spokenlanguage.Thisencompasseslearningtomanipulatesoundsinwords,recognizingwordsandbreakingthemapartintosmallerunits,learningtherelationshipbetweensoundsandletters,andbuildingtheirorallanguageandvocabularyskills.TheseareallskillsthattheNationalEarlyLiteracyPanelfoundtobeprecursorstochildren’slatergrowthintheabilitytodecodeandcomprehendtext,towrite,andtospell.

An Urgent Demographic Imperative

TheagedistributionandgrowthoftheHispanicpopulationhavecriticalimplicationsforthepresentandfutureofsocialandeconomicpolicyinourstate,withparticularemphasisonearlycareandeducation.Basedonon-sitevisitsandinterviewswithstafffromtheMarylandParentalInformationResourceCenterinMontgomeryCounty,thenumberofHispanicchildrenasaproportionofallchildrenhasbeenincreasingmorerapidlythanthenumberofnon-HispanicWhiteandAfrican-Americanchildrenforallagegroupsinseveralareasofthecounty.AccordingtotheMarylandStateDepartmentofEducation’s(MSDE)2010EnglishLanguageLearner’s(ELLs)StudentPopulationTrendData,thenumberofELLHispanicstudentsinthestategrewfrom25,734in2008-2009to28,610in2009-2010(MSDE,TitleIII/ELLSpringBriefing,May,2010).

YoungHispanicchildrenareofparticularinterestbecausetheyconstituteanurgentdemographicimperative.Therearetwoveryimportantreasonsforanincreasedfocusonthatpopulation:

·thesizeofthegroupincreasinglyimpactstheresultsoftheoverallpopulation;

·thepolicyimportanceofthiscriticalearlyagerange(birth-5years)isespeciallyrelevantintermsofeducational,college,andcareerinvestments.

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AccordingtoGormley,Gayer,Phillips,&Dawson,(2005)“earlyeducationalandhealthdisparitiesrelatedtoHispanicimmigrantstatusaremoremalleablethantheywilllaterbeafterthehighlycumulativeeffectsofsocialinstitutions,environmentalconditions,anddifferentialopportunityhavetakenhold.”(p.874).InMaryland,thebenefitsofearlylearninganditsrelationtoschoolreadinesshashadaprofoundinfluencenotonlyonthequalityoffutureadultsbutalsooureconomy.ThisnotionofpreemptiveeducationalinterventionissupportedinNobel-PrizewinningeconomistJamesJ.Heckman’sresearch(2010),whichillustrateshoweffectiveearlycareandeducationcandecreasetheneedforSpecialEducationandremediation,aswellasjuveniledelinquency,teenpregnancy,anddrop-outrates.

Poverty vs. Early Literacy Development

Thisracial/ethnicgroup’sunprecedentedgrowthisparticularlyalarmingduetoitssocio-economicsituation.First,in2008,theaverageannualpersonalearningofHispanicsinMarylandwas$24,441.00,comparedto$40,736.00forNonHispanicWhitesand$34,218.00forAfrican-Americans(PewHispanicCenterSurvey,2008,p.5).Secondly,giventhemedianageoftheHispanicpopulationinMaryland,(28yearsold),anditshighfertilityrate,onecanassumeasizableincreaseinthenumberofHispanicchildrenlessthanfiveyearsofage.Accordingtothe2008PewHispanicCenterSurvey,inMarylandthereweremorethan9,000birthstoHispanicwomenduring12months.Thisrepresented11%ofallbirthsinMarylandthatyear.Thesetrendsarealsoreflectedatthenationallevel,wherebytheannualpersonalearningforHispanicsissimilartoMaryland’s,ifnotlower,andthetotalfertilityrateofHispanicwomenisalsoconsiderablyhigherthanthoseofWhitesandothergroups.TheseconditionswillmakecertainthatyoungHispanicchildrenundertheageoffivebecomethelargestracial/ethnicpopulationandaremorelikelytoliveinpovertycomparedtoothergroups.

ThemajorityofrecentlyarrivedHispanicimmigrantsintheU.S.,aswellasMaryland,comefromMexicoandCentralAmerica(Pew,2008,p.1).Theyareoftenpoorlyeducated,lackliteracyskillsintheirownlanguageandcannotunderstandnorspeakEnglish(Torres,1998,p.45).Manycomehereillegally,eitheraloneorwiththeirfamilies,insearchofwork.Intheyear2000,accordingtotheU.S.CensusBureau,62%ofallchildrenofimmigrantfamiliesintheU.S.wereofHispanicorigin(Garcia,&Jensen,2009,p.3).Furthermore,recentnationaldemographicdataindicatethat93%ofyoungchildren(under6)ofimmigrantsareHispanic.Althoughsmallerinnumber,HispanicsarealsoconsideredthelargestimmigrantpopulationinMaryland(PewHispanicCenter,2010,p.2).

Childrenfromtheseimmigrantfamiliesaremuchmorelikelytoliveincrowdedhousing,inpoverty,andinlinguisticallyisolatedhomeswherefamilymembersmayhaveverylimitedifanyformaleducation,lackhealthinsurance,andhavelimitedaccesstohighqualityearlychildhoodprograms.Asaresult,thosechildrenmissoutonlearningthosecriticalprecursorskillswhichcanultimatelyofferthemapathtosuccessinschoolaswellasoverallachievement.

Inasimilarvein,RobertCrosnoeinhisseminalwork,Mexican roots American school: The academic trajectory of immigrant youth. (2006),pointsoutthatweneedtofocus“ontheexplicitwaysthattheoutcomesofthechildgenerationinthispopulationareinextricablytiedtothecircumstancesoftheparentgeneration”(p.12).Inotherwords,withinthecontextofeducationwemustalsoexaminethewayinwhichtheeducationaltrajectoriesofparentandchildareconnectedtoeachother.Therefore,whenconsideringpolicyrecommendationswemustnotonlyaddressinterventionstargetingthechild,but,alsothinkofmechanismsthroughwhichimprovingparents’livescanhelpthechildaswell(p.12).

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Unique Linguistic and Immigration Profile

Amongracial/ethnicgroupsHispanicshaveauniqueimmigrationandlinguisticprofile.HispanicchildrenintheU.S.arenotahomogeneousgroup.Theyallcomefromverydiversesocial,cultural,andlinguisticbackgrounds.Thesechildren,forexample,representvariouscountries-of-originwithmanyuniquecombinationsofhistories,culturalpractices,perspectivesandtraditions.Itisalsoimportanttorecognizethatthechildreninimmigrantfamiliesarenotthemselvesimmigrants.Rather,aboutthree-quartersofthechildreninimmigrantfamiliesareAmerican-born;andalargemajorityofthesechildrenareHispanics(Garcia,&Jensen,2009,p.3).ThisphenomenonisalsotrueforMaryland’sHispanicpopulation.

Duetovariationsinnativity,nationalorigin,andrelatedsocialfactors,receptiveandexpressivelanguageskillsvarywithintheyoungHispanicpopulation.SomeyoungchildrenacquireEnglishastheirfirstlanguageandmaintainmonolingualproficiencythroughouttheirlives.Usually,thesechildrenaremorelikelytohavenative(U.S.)bornparentswhotendtobesecondgenerationimmigrants.OthersspeakSpanishastheirfirstlanguageandlearnEnglishastheyenterschool.Thesechildrenarereferredtoas“sequentialbilinguals”(p.3).Theproportionalsizeofthissubpopulationhasbeengrowingrapidlyoverthepastfewdecades.Afinal(andverysmall)subsetofHispanicchildrendevelopsEnglishandSpanishfluencysimultaneouslyandatcomparablelevelsinthehomeandinschool(August,&Shanahan,2006,p.2).

Similarly,differencesinlanguagedevelopmentaremostcommonlyattributabletovariationsoflanguagepracticesinthehome.ApproximatelythreeinfouryoungHispanicchildrenliveinhomesinwhichSpanishisspokenonaregularbasisastheprimarylanguage.AsmallergrouplivedinhomeswherebyEnglishwasprimarilyspoken,withsomeSpanish.ThesmallestgroupspokeonlySpanishathome.Thesedifferencesare

attributedtothefactthatmanyparentsofyoungHispanicchildrenhavelimitedEnglishproficiency(Hernandez,2006,p.23).

InmostcasesthelackofEnglishproficiencywillalsobeaccompaniedbyalackofnativelanguage/literacyskills.AccordingtotheU.S.Censusin2010,nearlythreefourthsofyoungHispanicchildreninimmigrantfamilies(71%)livewithatleastoneparentwhohaslimitedEnglishproficiency(LEP),notspeakingEnglishexclusivelyornotverywell,andonehalf(49%)livewithtwosuchparents.Overall,Hispanicsofeveryagearemorelikelythanotherracial/ethnicgroupstobeLEP,haveoneortwoparentswhoarealsoLEP,andliveinlinguisticallyisolatedhomes—householdsinwhichnooneovertheageof13speaksEnglishexclusively(Torres,1998,p.43).

ThequalityandquantityofbilingualismorEnglishandSpanishusedinthehome,isassociatedwithseveralfactorspertainingtoimmigration,demographics,andsocio-economicbackgrounds.AssociationshavebeenfoundbetweenthelevelsofEnglishandSpanishproficiencyspokenathomeandtheimmigrantfamily’scountryoforigin.Forexample,childrenofMexicanancestryarelesslikelytobebilingualthanthosefromothernationalorigins.Furthermore,HispanicchildrenfromDominican,Mexican,andCentralAmericanbackgroundsaremorelikelythanHispanicsfromothernationaloriginstobeLEPandtohaveoneortwoLEPparents.ThehighestrelativeproportionofbilingualismamongHispanicchildrenwasfoundamongCubans(Hernandez,2006,p.12).

Itisnoteworthytomentionthatthereasonsbehindagroup’sdecisiontoimmigratetotheU.S.canbeadeterminingfactorintheirsocio-economiclevel.ThelanguageproficiencyofyoungHispanicshasbeencloselyassociatedwithhouseholdincome(Torres,1998,p.43).Forexample,Hispanicswhoimmigrateduetopoliticalreasons,(e.g.,Cubans)enterthecountrylegally,tendtobewelleducated,andcomefromthemiddleoruppermiddle

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socio-economicclassesintheirnativecountry.Theyalsounderstandthevalue,sacrifices,anddelayedgratificationassociatedwitheducationalopportunity.Overall,thisgroup’sfirstgenerationisabletoachieveEnglishfluency,assimilatetotheAmericanculture,andobtainfinancialandeconomicstability.Hispanicchildrenfromthisgrouphavebeenexposedmoretolanguageandliteracyskills(EnglishorSpanish)andtherefore,aremorelikelytobemorelanguageproficientbeforetheystartschool.However,thosewhoimmigrateinsearchofemploymenttendtoenterthecountryillegally,havealimitededucationifatall,donotassimilateuntilthesecondorthirdgeneration,donotachieveEnglishfluencyusuallyuntilthethirdgeneration,andarenormallyfromthelowsocio-economicclassintheirnativecountry.Forthemostpart,thisgroupmayreachfinancialandeconomicstabilityintheiradoptedcountrybythesecondorthirdgeneration.Hispanicchildrenfromthisgrouparenotasexposedtolanguage,EnglishorSpanish,andlackvocabularyandorallanguageskillsbeforetheyenterschool(Torres,1998,p.43).

InMaryland,detaileddatapertainingtoimmigrantstudent’shomelanguageusageortheparent’slevelofEnglishproficiencyisscarceandvariesfromcountytocounty.(Ideally,thisdatashouldreflectallstudentswhosehomelanguageisnotEnglish.ThiswouldincludeabroadercohortthanjustthoseneedingEnglishasaSecondLanguage(ESOL)instruction.)However,practitionersfromMontgomeryCounty,BaltimoreCity,andBaltimoreCountywhowereinterviewedandprovidedinformationforthispolicybriefagreedthattheprofileofhomelanguagepracticesdescribedabovecanalsobeappliedtoMaryland.Maryland’sHispanicimmigrantadultpopulationismostlyfromCentralAmericaandMexico.Theycomefromaverylowsocio-economicbackground,arepoorlyeducatedandmostofthemlackliteracyskillsintheirnativelanguage(Torres,1998,p.45).Havinginformationpertainingtothechild’shomelanguageandtheparent’slevelofEnglishprovidestheschoolwithvaluableinsightregardingthehomesettinganditsroleinthedevelopmentofimportantskillsneededbeforethechildentersschool.

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CHILD CARE AND EARLY EDUCATION NEEDS

TherearefourprimaryissuesinfluencingtheearlycareandeducationalneedsofHispanicchildrenandtheirfamiliesinMaryland.Thesewereobservedandcompiledthroughaseriesofsitevisits,datareview,phoneinterviews,anddetailedinputfrompractitionersinthreeschooldistrictswithdifferentlevelsofimpactservingHispanicchildren:MontgomeryCounty(High-Impact);BaltimoreCounty(Mid-Impact);andBaltimoreCity(Low-Impact).

Thefirstissuecentersonworkforceissuesandthedemandforchildcaretosupportworkingparents,includingthosewhoaretransitioningoffwelfare.Thesecondgrowsoutoftheconfluenceofimmigration,workforcestatusofimmigrantfamilies,andtheeconomichardshipsfacedbytheirchildren.ThethirdstemsfromtheeducationalchallengesfacingHispanicsthroughouttheirlifespan.ThefourthrelatestothedifficultiesfacedbyEnglish-languagelearnerswhosenativeordominantlanguageisotherthanEnglish.Whatisrelevantaboutthesefourissuesisthattheyimpactboththeadultsaswellasthechildreninthefamily.

Workforce Issues

Hispanicfamiliesfacethesamechallengesfindinghighqualitychildcareasnon-Hispanicswithcomparablesocio-economiccharacteristics(e.g.,highincidenceofpoverty;lowwagejobs;andjobswithinflexibleworkscheduleandnontraditionalhours,includingnightsandweekends)andfamilycomposition(e.g.,largenumberofchildrenfrombirthtoage5).Inaddition,Hispanicfamiliesstruggletofindchildcarethatislinguisticallyandculturallycompatible.Despitethesechallenges,therehasbeenverylittleresearchfocusingondocumentingtheworkforceissuesandchildcareneedsofHispanics.

InNovember1999,duringaNationalLeadershipForumsponsoredbytheChildCareBureauon“ChildCareIssuesoftheHispanicCommunity,”participantscametotheconclusionthat“theHispanicpopulationisamongthefastestgrowingandyoungestsegmentsofAmericansociety,yetfamiliesconfrontlowerqualityandlowersupplyofavailablechildcareinrelationtothegeneral

public”(ChildCareBureau,2001,p.1).

OneofthecharacteristicsofHispanicfamilieswhichwascommonlycitedatthisforumistheapparentpreferencefor“informal”childcarearrangementsasopposedtoorganizedchildcaresuchaschildcarecenters,non/publicnurseries,pre-school,HeadStart,orfamilychildcare(ChildCareBureau,2001,p.1).Thissituationhasledsomeadministratorsandpolicymakerstoassumethat“informal”childcaresettings--includingfamily,friend,andneighborcare--arestronglypreferredbyHispanicsoverchildcarecenters.Thismaybethecase;however,thereisnodata(stateornational)tosupportit.Itisalsopossiblethatthesestatisticsmaynottellthewholestory.

ArecentstudyofHispanicfamiliesandchildcarecentersinChicago,whereHispanicsconstitute26%ofthetotalcitypopulation,suggeststhatavailabilitymaybeakeyfactor.Latinamothersneedingchildcaregenerallyviewedchildcarecentersfavorably;thefactthatfewLatinosusedchildcarecentersisbecauseaffordablecentercareisnotavailableintheirneighborhoods.The

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studyconcludedthattheavailabilityofchildcarearrangementsinthecityofChicagomayhavebeenunderestimatedbecauseintheenditfailedtomeetthedemandforcenterbasedchildcareamongLatinos(IllinoisFacilityFund,2003,p.3).

Inthereport,Children Entering School Ready to Learn-School Year 2010-2011,publishedbytheMarylandStateDepartmentofEducation,thepercentageofHispanicchildrenattheageoffourthatwereenrolledinorganizedchildcareprogramswas14.4%comparedto41.8%participationbyWhitesand33.1%participationbyAfricanAmericans.GivenourState’sgrowingHispanicpopulation,thelownumbersofparticipantsenrolledincenter-basedchildcarethroughoutMarylandraisesquestionsofavailabilitytocenter-basedchildcareincommunitieswithHispanicpopulationsoranybarriersthatHispanicfamiliesfacewhenenrollingtheirchildreninlicensedchildcare.

InallthreeMarylandschooldistrictsvisited,thepractitionersandparentssubmittedresponseslistingseveralreasonsandconcernsfortheapparentreluctanceofHispanicfamiliestoplacetheirchildrenincenter-basedcare.Itisinterestingtonotethatregardlessofpopulationsizethesameconcernsweresubmittedbyallthreecounties.

HereisalistofthemostcommonreasonscitedbyrespondentsfromMontgomeryCounty,BaltimoreCounty,andBaltimoreCity:

Popularityofcenters:Ifandwhencentersareavailable,spaceisverylimitedortherearelongwaitinglists.Therearenotenoughcentersconvenienttothehomeorworkplaceoffamilies.

·Residencyandregistrationrequirements:Requirementsaretoostringent,therebydissuadingsomefamiliesfromapplying.Forexample,manyfamiliesliveinhomeswithmultiplefamiliessharingtherent,but,thereisonlyonefamilyoradultlistedonthelease.Theownerorleaseholdermaybe

reluctanttowritealetterstatingthattheyaresubleasingtheirhome/apartmentforfearofrepercussions,socountyresidencyrequirementscannotbeverified.

·Healthinsuranceinformation:Familiesmaynothavehealthinsurance—sinceaphysicalisrequiredforregistration,thefamilymaynotbeabletomeetthoserequirements.

·Lackofpublicoutreach:Informationonearlycareandeducationprogramsmaynotbegettingtotheparentswhichcouldleadfamilymemberstomissenrollmentdeadlines.Therehavebeentimeswhenstafffromearlycareandeducationprogramsmisinformedtheparentregardingavailabilityorevenimmigrationstatusrequirements.Manytimesthefrontofficestaffcannotunderstandtheparent’slanguageandtheymightmisinformparents.

·LackofinformationinSpanish:MosttimesinformationisnotavailableinSpanish,oritisnotaccuratelytranslated,soimportantdetailsorinformationfromprovidersisleftout.Insomecasesthefamiliesarejustnotawarethatpre-school,center,orschoolstaffmaybebilingual.

·Costofcare:Thecostofenrollingchildreninearlycareandeducationprograms,whenlowcostoptions(i.e.,childcaresubsidy)arenotavailable,orfamiliescannotmeettheincomerequirementfortheno-costoption(i.e.,HeadStartorpublicschoolprekindergarten).

·Importanceofearlyeducation:Lackofawarenessaboutwhyearlychildhoodeducationissoimportantforlaterschoolsuccess.TheawarenessofearlyeducationandwhathighqualityprogramslooklikeislessofatopicinHispaniccommunities

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thaninnon-Hispaniccommunities.

·All-daycarearrangements:Needforfull-dayorextendedhourprogram,especiallygiventheirneedtowork.

·Logisticalimpediments:Lackoftransportationtothecenter,orevenpreoraftercareforthechildwhiletheparentworks.

·Riskforlegalentrapmentordeportation:Marylanddoesnotincluderequirementstoverifytheimmigrationstatusaspartofaschool,childcaresubsidy,orchildcarecenterenrollment.However,overthepastfewyears,therehasbeenincreasedfearregardingtheFederalgovernment’senforcementregardingillegalentryintothecountry,assumingthatlocalorstatebureaucraciesopenlyorcovertlyreportonundocumentedimmigrants.

·Culturalbarriers:Parentsmay,onphilosophicalgrounds,haveobjectionstoenrollingtheirchildreninearlychildhoodprograms,amongthem:asenseof“protectiveness”fortheiryoungchildren,notletting“strangers”carefortheirchildrenbecausetheyseetheirchildrenasbeingvulnerabletoexploitationorharm.Also,parentswithstrongculturalrootsareconcernedabouttheirchildrenbecomingtoo“American”tooquicklyorschoolsshowingalackofculturalcompetenceandappreciationforchildren’sheritage.

·Informalfamilycaremaybeseenasmoreconvenient,effective,andnurturingthansendingchildrentoschoolatsuchayoungage.

EarlychildhoodcenteradministratorsandprovidersfromMontgomery,BaltimoreCountyandBaltimoreCity,alsoagreedonthefollowingsetofstrategieswhichchildhoodprograms,school

districts,orschoolscouldusetorecruitmoreHispanicparentsintoenrollingtheirchildreninearlychildhoodprograms.Thefollowingisalistofstrategiesthathaveworked:

Spanish-speakersasemissaries:UseotherLatinoparentswhohavealreadyenrolledtheirchildreninearlychildhoodprogramstodooutreachtothenextgenerationofapplicants.Thisbuildsparentleadershipandalsoallowsparentstoserveasambassadorstoeachother.

Informationatpublicplaces:Postinformationalfliersinapartments/malls/churches/restaurants/busstops,ormakePSA’sforSpanishspeakingradiostations.Shareimportantregistration/enrollmentinformationwithchurchesandothercommunity-basedorganizationstoensurethatfamiliesareawareofopportunities.

Familysupportmeetingsonchildrearingandearlyeducation:Conductparentworkshops(inSpanish)ontheimportanceofearlychildhooddevelopmentsoparentslearnabouttheimportanceofenrollingtheirchildrenearly.

Earlychildhoodfairs:HostearlychildhoodeducationfairsinlocationswherehighconcentrationsofLatinofamiliesliveandwherethelocationisaccessibletopublictransportation.MakesurefairsarestaffedwithpeoplewhospeakSpanishandcanofferaccurateinformationaboutearlychildhoodoptionsforfamiliesofallincomelevels.

Bilingualliaisons:Employbilingualstafftoworkwiththefamilyaswellasthechildenrolledintheprogram.InschoolswherethishasbeendonetheenrollmenthasincreasedLatinoparticipationineventsandregistrationinearlychildhoodprograms.

Highqualityprograms:OffermorehighqualityearlycareandeducationprogramsinareaswithhighLatinopopulationsservedbyorganizationsthathaveatrackrecordservingthatcommunity

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andwhoarecommittedtoastrongpartnership/transitionprocesswithpublicschoolsorearlyHeadStartclassrooms.Thetransitiontopublicschooliscriticaltobuildupontheworkalreadydonebytheearlychildhoodeducationproviders.

Inaddition,thesesameearlychildhoodcenteradministratorsandproviderssubmittedrecommendationsforstatepolicymakerstohelpincreasetheenrollmentofHispanicchildreninearlychildhoodeducationprograms.

·Supportpoliciesthatencourageandfacilitatehiringbilingualstaffinearlychildhoodeducationprograms.Thiswillremovethemostegregiousimpedimenttoparticipationinearlychildhoodeducationprogramsbyimprovingcommunicationandpromotingthebenefitsoftheseprograms.

·Promotepolicieswhichstreamlinetheregistrationrequirementsfortheseprograms.Thiswillhelpaddressthefearsandspecialcircumstances(suchasmultiplefamilieslivinginasingledwelling)ofLatinoparents.Moreover,itwouldalleviatethesuspicionsandperceptionsaboutschoolsbeingtiedtoimmigrationenforcement.

·SupportthelaunchingofPublicServiceAnnouncements(PSAs)throughlocalSpanishspeakingradiostations/newspapers/magazines/communityserviceorganizations/governmentagenciesduringthesummermonthstoinform,educatethecommunity,andensureparticipationinearlychildhoodeducationprograms.

·FacilitateandincentivizeprogramstorecruitbilingualEarlyChildhoodEducationTeacherstoincreasethepoolofqualifiedteachersfromwhichschooldistrictscanchoose.

·SupportpoliciesandprogramsthatencourageearlychildhoodproviderstoofferparentworkshopsaddressingtheimportanceofearlychildhooddevelopmentandtoworkcollaborativelywithelementaryschoolstoensuresuccessfultransitionsintoKindergarten.

·Lastly,policymakersmustnotonlyaddressinterventionstargetingthechild.Instead,theyalsoneedtothinkofmechanismsthoughwhichimprovingparent’slivescanhelpthechildthroughthecoordinationofservicessuchasparentingclasses,jobskillstraining,orAdultEducationESOL.

Immigration and Early Care and Education

DatafromTheNationalCenterforChildreninPoverty(2002)providedimportantinsightsintothedemographicimplicationsofimmigrationforchildcareandrelatedissues.Recently,theCentercompletedacomprehensiveanalysisofthechildrenofimmigrants,twothirdsofwhomwereHispanic.Thedemographicandeconomicdataprovidedilluminatinginsightsintothelivesofimmigrants,particularlyinrespecttochildpoverty,workforcestatus,andfamilycomposition.

Forexample,oneinfourpoorchildrenhasatleastoneforeign-bornparent,andapproximatelytwothirdsoffirst-generationpoorchildrenareHispanic(Elmelech;McCaskey;Lennon;&Lu.2002,p.5).Althoughnon-HispanicWhitechildrenofimmigrantsarelesslikelytobepoorthaneitherHispanicorAfricanAmericanchildren,first-generationchildrenofHispanicoriginarethemostlikelytoliveinpoverty(nearly45%)(Elmelech,Yuval,et.al.,2002,p.2).

In2004,anationalstudyonchild-carearrangementsofpreschoolchildreninHispanicimmigrantfamiliesbytheU.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices’ChildCareBureau,AdministrationforChildrenandFamilies,

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showedthattheprimarychildcarearrangementsforpreschoolerswererelatives(36.6%),nonrelative(27%),parent(22.8%)andcenter-based(18.2%)(Collins&Wilson-Quayle,2004p.3).InMaryland,thissituationlooksmuchdifferentduetotheState’sstrongcommitmenttopublicpre-k.Forexample,the2010state-widedata(MMSR,2010)describingchild-carearrangementsamongHispanicsinMarylandshowsthat22.5%ofthe9,002HispanicKindergartenentrantchildrenwerereportedaspredominantlyinhome/informalcareintheyearpriortoKindergartenentry.Accordingtothesamesource,6%werepredominantlyinnon-publiccentercare,but51%werepredominantlyinpublicpre-k.

Itisimportanttostressthestrongcorrelationbetweenimmigrationstatusandpovertywhichissynonymouswithlowwagejobsorjobswithinflexibleworkschedulesandnontraditionalhours.InMarylandtheimmigrantpopulation,whoseoverwhelmingmajorityisHispanic,posesamajorchallengeforadministratorsandpolicymakersaddressingearlycareandeducationissues.Ontheonehand,theyarethewellspringofpopulationgrowthandrepresentamajorcomponentofthelaborforceatatimewhenthebabyboomgenerationisreachingretirementage.Ontheotherhand,theyareunderservedbyqualityearlycareandeducationprogramsastheStateisdevelopingearlyeducationandeducationreformpoliciestoimproveitscompetitiveworkforce.

Anotherconditionoftenoverlookedwhenaddressingimmigrantissuesisthenotionof“adjustment”or“adaptation”tolifeintheU.S.asnewlyarrivedHispanicchildrenandtheirfamiliesexperienceoncetheyenterthecountry.Thisexperienceisverymuchaffectedbytheirimmigrationstatus,poverty,andlowwagejobs,whichshapetheperceptionofearlylearningamongimmigrantparents.ArecentstudybyColleenK.Vesely(2011)pointsouthowtheexperienceofadaptationandadjustmenttolifeintheU.S.shapesparentingpracticesforyoungimmigrantmothers(Vesely,2010,p.3).Thestudy

included22Hispanicimmigrantmothersandshowedhowtheirreasonsforcomingtoanewhostsociety,theirjourney,andadjustmenttolifeinthenewcountryshapedtheirexpectationsoflifeintheU.S.ThisadjustmentforcedthemtonegatesomeoftheparentingideasandpracticesinboththeU.S.andtheirhomecountries,andledthemtocreatetheirownsocialframeworkforparenting.Thisnewparentingframeworkwastotallydistinctfromparentingpracticeshereandintheirhomecountries.Thisadjustmentoradaptationprocess,oftenignored,influencesgreatlytheimmigrantmothers’perceptionofearlycareandeducationservicesaswellastheirabilitytonavigatethesystem(Vesely,2010,p.3).

Educational Challenges

AcomprehensivestudybytheNationalCenterforEducationStatistics(NCES)onthestatusandtrendsintheeducationofHispanics,pointsoutthedisparityinmanykeyareasbetweenHispanicsandnon-HispanicWhites,andAfrican-Americans.Accordingtothestudy,thedisparitiesspanfromearlychildhoodthroughelementaryandsecondaryeducationaswellashighereducation(Smith,2003,p.6).AlthoughthestudyfindingsdescribethenationalstatusandtrendsineducationofHispanics,muchoftheinformationgatheredcanbeappliedtoMaryland.Severalfindingslistedbelowareworthnoting:

·Family Literacy Hispanicchildrenwerelesslikelythannon-HispanicWhitesorAfricanAmericanchildrentobereadtoorvisitalibrary.

·ReadingHispanic9-year-olds’scoresonNationalAssessmentofEducationalProgress(NAEP)readingtestswere13%behindscoresofnon-HispanicWhites,agapof28points.

·Grade Retention, Suspension, and ExpulsionHispanicstudentshadhigherretentionandsuspension/expulsionrates(20%)thannon-HispanicWhites(15%).

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·Dropout RateHispanicstudentshavethehighesthighschooldropoutrate(28%).ThisfigureismorethandoublethoseofAfricanAmericanstudents,andfourtimesthedropoutrateofnon-HispanicWhitestudents.

·Higher EducationBetween1980-2000,Hispanicsfellevenfurtherbehindatthehighereducationlevel.Only22%ofHispanics18-24yearsoldwereenrolledincollegesanduniversities(includingtwoyeardegree-grantingpostsecondaryinstitutions)in2000comparedwith39%ofWhitesnon-Hispanicsand31%AfricanAmericans.

English Language Fluency and School Performance

AcentralissueinprovidingearlycareandeducationservicestoHispanicchildrenfrombirththroughage5isthehighproportionofEnglishlanguagelearner(ELL),childrenwhosehomeordominantlanguageisnotEnglish.Achildnot

abletospeakEnglishwhenenteringkindergartenismostat-riskforacademicfailureandschooldropout(Espinosa,2003,p.7).

TherearedifferentschoolsofthoughtonhowtobestserveEnglishlanguagelearnersduringtheK-12periodofformalschoolingsuchasBilingualEducation(instructioninboth,EnglishandSpanish)orEnglishasaSecondLanguage(ESL)(instructionalsupportonlyinEnglish).However,thereisagreatamountofconsensusaboutculturallyandlinguisticallyappropriateearlyeducationstrategiesforchildrenfrombirthtoage5.Inparticular,evidencesuggeststhatpreschoolHispanicchildrenaremorelikelytobecomefluentandtoacquireliteracyskillsinEnglishiftheyhaveastrongfoundationintheirhomelanguage(Espinosa,2003,p.7).

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HOW ARE HISPANIC CHILDREN BEST SERVED BY EARLY CARE EDUCATION PROGRAMS?

Highqualityearlycareandeducationprogramscangreatlycontributetolatereducationalattainmentandlifesuccess,includingeconomicandsocialbenefitstotheindividualandthelargersociety.Furthermore,highqualityprogramstendtoyieldgreatestgainsforat-riskchildren,includingHispanics.

Maryland’scurrentearlychildhoodinfrastructureprovidesastrongfoundationandpotentialformeetingtheearlycareandeducationneedsofHispanicchildren.Howeverthecontextofschoolreadiness,includingworkforce,immigration,andeducationalchallenges,remainstrongheadwindsastheState’sefforttonarrowtheschoolreadinessgapforHispanicsproceeds.

Maryland Model for School Readiness

EarlyChildhoodEducationhasbeenaneducationpriorityinMarylandformanyyears.Marylandtooktheleadinprovidingevidencethatchildren’searlylearningaffectstheirschoolsuccesswellbeyondKindergarten.StatekindergartenassessmentdatasuggeststhatasKindergartenschoolreadinessimproved,thirdgradereadingandmathscoresrosecorrespondingly.Therefore,achild’sreadinesstostartKindergartenisoneofthemostimportanteducationalmilestonesinhisorherlife.

EnsuringthatthereisanaccurateunderstandingannuallyofthelevelofschoolreadinessofeverychildenteringKindergarteninMaryland,theMarylandStateDepartmentofEducationdevelopedThe Maryland Model for School Readiness(MMSR)KindergartenAssessment,acustomizedversionoftheWorkSamplingSystem.Thekindergartenassessmentevaluateswhateachchildknowsandisabletodointheseven“domainsoflearning:”language and literacy; mathematical thinking; scientific thinking; social studies; the Arts; physical development; and social and personal development(MarylandSchoolReadinessReport,2011,p.4).

KindergartenteachersthroughoutthestateusetheMMSReveryyeartoindividuallyassessthereadinessofeachoftheirstudentsinthosesevenessentialareasoflearning.Orientationand

professionaldevelopmentforthisassessmenthasbeencoordinatedbytheMarylandStateDepartmentofEducation.TheMMSRisadevelopmentallyappropriateportfolioassessmentincludingasetofsystematicandcarefullydesigneddailyobservation,worksamples,andageappropriateguidelinesbywhichateacherassessestheskillsofeachenteringkindergartener(MarylandSchoolReadinessReport,2011,p.3).

TheMMSRiscapableofidentifyingthreelevelsofschoolreadiness:

·Fully Ready:Thestudentconsistentlydemonstratestheskills,behaviors,andabilitiesneededtomeetkindergartenexpectations.

·Approaching Readiness:Thestudentinconsistentlydemonstratestheskills,behaviors,andabilitiesneededtomeetkindergartenexpectationssuccessfullyandrequirestargetedinstructionalsupportinspecificareas.

·Developing Readiness: Thestudentinconsistentlydemonstratestheskills,behaviors,andabilitiesneededtomeetkindergartenexpectationssuccessfullyandrequiresconsiderableinstructionalsupportinspecificareas.

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Using the MMSR Kindergarten Assessment

TheMMSRhasmanyuses.Itisnotjustanassessmenttoolforchildren’sskillsandabilities.Itisusedbykindergartenteacherstoinformclassroominstruction,provideappropriatesupportforindividualstudents,andpromotebettercommunicationwithparentsaboutchildren’sabilities.Localschoolsystemsusethefindingstoguideprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesforteachers,informstrategicplanning,targetresources,andsuccessfullyhelpchildrenmakethetransitionfromearlychildhoodtoschool(MMSR,2011,p.4).Thecombinedstateandcountyschoolreadinessdatareport,knownastheMaryland School Readiness ReportisreleasedannuallybytheMarylandStateDepartmentofEducation.Thisannualreporthighlightswhathasbeenlearnedfromtheresultsofthepreviousyear’sMMSRprovidingavaluablesourceofinformationandinsightforearlyeducators,schools,legislators,publiclibraries,andbusinessandcommunityleaders.

Whileimprovingovertime,HispanicandEnglishLanguageLearners(ELL)statewidehaveconsistentlyhadsignificantlowerschoolreadinessscoresthanMarylandkindergartenersasawholeandareconsideredmoreatriskofnotbeingsuccessfulinschoolastheirpeers.However,the2011-2012datashowthatlevelsofschoolreadinessaresubstantiallyimprovingforHispanicandELLchildrenstatewidewhenenrolledinsome

formofearlyeducationprogram.Forexample,70%ofHispanicChildrenarefullyschool-ready,a31-pointreadinessgainfrom2001-2002and4pointsmorethanlastyear(MMSR,2011,p.4).

Inaddition,73%ofkindergartenersfromlow-incomehouseholds(asindicatedbyFreeandReducedPriceMealstatus)roseto“fullreadiness,”upfrom34%in2001-2002and69%in2009-2010.Ofthethreecountiesvisited,onlyMontgomeryCountyhadasubstantialnumberofHispanicchildrentakingpartintheFreeandReducedPriceMealprogram.In2009-2010,MontgomeryCountyhadover20%ofHispanicchildrenenrolledinearlyeducationprogramsunder5yearsandbeingeligiblefortheFreeandReducedPriceMealprogram(Race,201,p.1).SixtyeightpercentofEnglishLanguageLearners(i.e.,childrenwhosefirstlanguageisnotEnglish)werefullyready.Thisgroupwasupfrom35%in2001-2002and65%in2009-2010(MMSR,2011,p.4).

Thechartbelowreflects2012MMSRdatashowingtheimpressivegainsattainedbythoseHispanicchildrenwhoattendedanearlylearningprogram(suchaschildcare,HeadStart,Pre-K,ornonPublicnurseryschool)oneyearpriortoKindergarten.Accordingtothesamereport,Hispanicsrepresentedonly14.4%ofthetotalMSDEKindergartenSchoolEnrollmentDatafor2010-2011(MMSR,2011,p.4).

Full School Readiness by Prior Care of Hispanic Kindergarten Students

Full School Readiness by Prior Care of Hispanic Kindergarten Students

Fall 2011 Fall 2005Head Start 74 34Prekindergarten 78 42Child Care Center 81 44Family Child Care 64 27Non-‐public Nursery 90 56Home/Informal Care 59 17

***Statewide Prior Care data does not include Anne Arundel County due to an Anne Arundel County Public School system error.

Percents

74

78

81

64

90

59

34

42

44

27

56

17

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Head Start

Prekindergarten

Child Care Center

Family Child Care

Non-‐public Nursery

Home/Informal Care

Fall 2005

Fall 2011

***Statewide Prior Care data does not include Anne Arundel County due to an Anne Arundel County Public School system error.

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Collaborative Systems

MMSRdataalsoillustratesthatcreatingastreamlinedbirth-to-kindergartencontinuumofsupportforyoungchildrengreatlyimprovesschoolreadiness.Dr.SharonLynnKagan,Co-Director,NationalCenterforChildrenandFamiliesatColumbiaUniversity,callsthiscontinuuma“systemofservices”(KeynoteratReadyatFive’sDecember,2010,SchoolReadinessSymposium). Marylandhasinplacethenecessaryelementsforsuchacollaborativesystem,whichincludeHeadStart;publicprekindergarten;accreditedearlychildhoodservices;credentialedearlycareandeducationprofessionals;andnewstatewideprekindergartencurricula.

TheJudithP.HoyerEarlyChildCareandEducationEnhancementProgram(whichincludestheJudyCenters)isanexampleofsuchacollaborativeapproach.TheJudyCenterscompriseanetworkof25school-basedorschool-

linkedpartnershipsin22counties,administeredbytheMarylandStateDepartmentofEducation.TheJudyCenterspartnerandcollaboratewithchildcarecenters,HeadStart,familysupportcenters,resourceandreferralagencies,earlychildhoodprogramsservingchildrenwithdisabilitiesandparentstoprovidewideranging-servicesforatriskchildren,birththrough5andtheirfamilies.TheJudyCentersalsousetheMMSRtoassessschoolreadinessoutcomes.Childrenwithsignificantriskfactors,suchasELL/Hispanic,andlowincomeHispanics,whoparticipateintheseprograms,areabletoachievehigherlevelsinallsevendomainsofschoolreadinessthanthosewhodidnotparticipate(MMSR,2011,p.7).

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CLOSING THE GAP: PROGRAMS THAT WORK

DespitethegrowthoftheHispanicpopulationinMaryland,thelowenrollmentofHispanicfouryear-oldsandyoungerinearlylearningprogramsstillpersists.However,thereareotherprogramsandserviceshereinMarylandwhichhadmuchsuccesswiththispopulation.Theseprogramsfocusonthefamilies‘culturalsensibilities’astheyadapttoanewcountryandanewlanguage.Thisawarenessisreflectedintherecruitmentofbilingualstaffandoutreachactivitiesthroughoutthecommunity.Forexample,thesecenters/organizationsaredoingthefollowing:

·UseLatinoparentswhohavealreadyenrolledtheirchildreninearlychildhoodprogramstodooutreachinSpanishtothenextgenerationofapplicants.Thisbuildsparentleadershipandalsoallowsparentstoserveasambassadorstoeachother.

·Postinformationalfliersinapartments/malls/churches/restaurants/busstops,ormakePSA’sforSpanishspeakingradiostations.

·AddresstheneedsofboththeparentsandthechildbyofferingEnglishasaSecondLanguage(ESL)instruction,workskillstraining,workreferralsaswellasparentingclassestoteachparentstobecomeinvolvedwiththeirchildren’seducation.Inaddition,classesareofferedforparentsregardingfinancialsurvivalskills,literacy,math,science,andhealth/nutrition.

·Conductparentworkshops(inSpanish)ontheimportanceofearlychildhooddevelopmentsoparentslearnaboutthevalueofeducationandimportanceofenrollingtheirchildreninschoolearly.

·HostearlychildhoodeducationfairsinlocationswherehighconcentrationsofLatinofamiliesliveandwherethelocationisaccessibletopublictransportation.MakesurefairsarestaffedwithpeoplewhospeakSpanishandcanofferaccurateinformationaboutearlychildhoodoptionsforfamiliesofallincomelevels.

·Shareimportantregistration/enrollmentinformationwithchurchesandothercommunity-basedorganizationstoensurethatfamiliesknowofschoolingandlearningopportunities.

·Employbilingualstafftoworkwiththefamilyaswellasthechildenrolledintheprogram.InschoolswherethishasbeendonetheenrollmenthasincreasedLatinoparticipationineventsandregistrationinearlychildhoodprograms.

·OfferservicesandprovidePre-KclassesinareaswithhighLatinopopulation.

·Whenfeasible,theseorganizationsalsoconsidertheneedoftheworkschedulesofHispanicparentsandofferfulldayorextendedhourprograms.Therefore,parentsareabletoaccessservicesduringthedayandeveninghours.

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ListedbelowarethenamesofrepresentativecentersandorganizationswhichprovidetheseservicesandexhibittheappropriateculturalsensibilitiestowardtheHispaniccommunitiesintheirarea:

·The Silver Spring Judy Center /Outreach Effort for Hispanic Families (Montgomery County)

InMontgomeryCounty,theSilverSpringJudyCenter/OutreachEffortatRollingTerraceElementarySchoolhasbeenprovidingculturallyappropriatebirth-to-kindergartensupportservicesinEnglishandSpanishtoprekindergartenstudentsandtheirfamilies.ItalsoofferskindergartenclassroomswithSpanishimmersioninstruction,andfostersculturallysensitiveactivitiesforallfamiliesofthePrektograde5schoolpopulation.TheJudyCenteralsoworksinpartnershipwithCentroNia,anearlylearningprogramformostlySpanishspeakingchildrenfromsurroundingcommunities.

·EBLO/ Education Based Latino Outreach (Baltimore City)

Foundedin1980,theEducationBasedLatinoOutreach(EBLO) wasthefirstorganizationinBaltimoreCityestablishedtoaddressthelackofservicesavailabletoLatinosinBaltimore.Atthetime,thegroup’sgreatestconcernwastheabsenceofeducationalservicesprovidedtoSpanishspeakingchildrenlivingintheO’DonnellHeightsHousingProjectbytheBaltimoreCitySchools.EBLO’sgoalhasbeentoimprovethelivesofHispanicchildrenandtheirfamiliesbyprovidingeducational,jobskillstraining,andculturalactivities.TodayEBLOhasexpandeditsservicestoincludeEnglishasaSecondLanguage(ESL)classesfortheparentsaswellasdance,

art,andmusicprogramsfortheentirefamily.AfterschoolprogramsforHispanicchildren, inpartnershipwiththeBaltimoreCityPublicSchools(BCPS),hasbeenaddedaspartoftheiroverallservices.TheDigitalVillageHub,acomputerliteracyprogramandSpanishclassesforadultsarejustafewoftheadditionalprogramsEBLOhasaddedastheeducationalneedsandaspirationsoftheHispaniccommunitycontinuetoexpandintheBaltimoremetropolitanarea.

·Latino Provider Network (Baltimore City Metro Area)

TheLatinoProvidersNetwork,Inc.(LPN)wasestablishedin1992,tobetterassistmeetingthehuman,education,andsocialserviceneedsofgreaterBaltimore’sburgeoningLatinocommunity.LPNisanumbrellaorganizationwhichfunctionsasacentralfocuspointforLatinoserviceprovidersinBaltimoreCityandthesurroundingareas.LPNprovidesnetworking,technicalassistanceandcapacitybuildingtoover70agency-communitypartnershipenterprisesthatprovidedirectservicessuchascounseling,education,healthcare,andjobtrainingtotheLatinopopulation.

·Montgomery Housing Partnership [MHP] (Montgomery County)

Establishedin1998,MontgomeryHousingPartnership(MHP)isaprivate,nonprofitrealestatedevelopmentpartnershipinMontgomeryCountyprovidingrevitalizationeffortsintroubledneighborhoodsimpactedbyforeclosuresandthedownturnintheeconomy.MHP’smainfocusistoimprovethelivesofLatinofamiliesinthecommunitybyprovidingaffordablehousingandeducationalprogramsforresidentsandtheirfamilies.

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Theseservicesaredesignedtohelpadultlearnersdevelopskillsthatexpandtheiropportunitiesandbalancetheirlives.MHP’sCommunityLifeProgramsprovidesupplementaleducationservicesforresidents’childrenthroughouttheyear.Listedbelowareexamplesoftheseprograms:

Homework Club: Elementary-agedchildren6-12yearsoldareprovidedwithastructured,supportiveatmosphereforcompletingschoolassignmentsinthecommunitycenters’computerlabs.

Summer Enrichment Program:ThepurposeoftheSummerProgramistoprovideanarrayofstructuredactivitiesforthechildrenduringthesummersotheycanmaintaintheiracademicstandingatschoolwhilehavingpositiveexperiences.TheCampmeets5hoursaday,fivedaysaweekduringthemonthofJuly.

Preschool Group:Thepurposeofthegroupistohelppre-schoolagechildrengetreadyforkindergarten.

Preschool Group Summer Program: Thepurposeofthegroupistonurturethechildren’snaturalcuriosityandtoengagethemincreativityprojectsandfieldtrips.Thechildrenalsohaveactivitiessuchasreading,coloring,andlisteningandplayingaspartoftheirdailyactivities.

Teen Program:Teenagershaveacriticalneedforstrongsupportintheircommunities.MHP’sTeenProgramhelpsyoungadultslearntohandlepeerpressure,social-economicneedsanddevelopleadershipintheircommunities.

·Padres y Alumnos Latinos en Accion (PALA)Latino Parents and Students in Action

ThisprogramisdesignedforstudentsandparentsofWhiteOakMiddleSchool(WOMS)inMontgomeryCounty.ItsmaingoalistopromoteacademicandsocialachievementforWhiteOakMiddleSchool’sLatinostudentsbyimprovingtheireducationalandsocialopportunitiesaswellaspromotingparentalinvolvement.Inaddition,togetherwiththePTSAandschoolstaff,specialeffortsareinplacetoensurethatallLatinofamiliesintheWOMScommunityarewelcomedandparticipateinPALAactivities. Theorganizationfeaturesmonthlymeetingsontopicsofinteresttoparentsandstudents.Sometopicsinclude:supportingstudentsuccess,navigatingthroughtheschoolsystem,healthinformationandMSA/AdvancedClasses.

·Mid Atlantic Equity Consortium, Inc. (Mid-Atlantic Region)

TheMid-AtlanticEquityCenter(MAEC)isoneoftenequityassistancecentersfundedbytheU.S.DepartmentofEducationunderTitleIVoftheCivilRightsActof1964.TheCenterprovidestechnicalassistanceandtrainingservicesintheareasofrace,gender,andnationalorigin(EnglishLanguageLearners/ESL)freeofchargetopublicschooldistrictsandothergovernmentalagenciesinfederally-designatedRegionIII,whichincludes:Delaware,theDistrictofColumbia,Maryland,Pennsylvania,Virginia,andWestVirginia.ThegoaloftheCenteristoensurethatallchildrenhaveaccesstoequitableeducationopportunitiestocompletecollegeandsucceedintheircareers.

ThroughpartnershipswiththeMarylandStateDepartmentofEducation’sEarlyChildhoodDivision,theMarylandFamilyNetwork,theMarylandFamilySupport

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Centers,HIPPYInternational,theJudithP.HoyerEarlyChildhoodandFamilyEducationCenters,andHeadStart,MAEChasgatheredevidenced-basedbestpracticestobestserveHispanicfamilies.

MAECalsoworkswithschooldistricts,schools,organizedparentgroups(PTA/PTOs,etc.),communityorganizations,andfaithbasedorganizationstodevelopsystemsandprogramstoadvanceschoolimprovementandincreasestudentachievementthroughcollaborationbetweenschool,familyandcommunity.Theseincludetransitionassistancetochildcarecenters,pre-schools,JudyCenters,andelementaryschoolstoeasethetransitionfrompre-KtoKindergartenandmaximizefamilyinvolvementforstudentreadinessandsuccess.TheseservicesareprovidedinSpanish.

·Maryland State Parental Information Resource Center [PIRC] (Statewide)

MarylandPIRCisaprojectfundedbytheU.S.DepartmentofEducationthroughitsOfficeofInnovationandImprovement[OII].Itsmissionistohelpparents,communitymembers,andeducatorsinMarylandworktogethertoincreasefamilyinvolvementandimprovestudentachievement.MDPIRCcollaborateswiththeMarylandStateDepartmentofEducation,JudyCenters,andtheFamilySupportCenters---coordinatedbytheMarylandFamilyNetwork---thatworkwithlow-incomeparentsandchildren0-5yearsoldthroughoutMaryland.Byusingexistingnetworks,provenprogramsandstrategies,theMDPIRCprovidesaculturalbridgeforbuildingapositiveconnectionbetweenfamiliesandschool.ManyoftheirservicesandoutreacheffortsareconductedinSpanishandEnglish.

·CentroNia, Takoma Park

CentroNiaisanationallyrecognizednon-profitmulticulturallearningcommunityfortheentirefamily.Theircenters,locatedinTakomaParkandtheWashington,D.C.metropolitanarea,offerapioneeringapproachtobilingualeducation.TheirlargestandmostsuccessfulprogramistheirEarly Childhood Education ProgramthroughHeadStart.Itisafull-dayprogramforchildrenfrombirththroughage5,layingthefoundationforschoolreadinessbyworkingtodevelopthewholechildinadual-languageenvironment.Onanygivendayachildwilllearnthroughmusic,movement,science,technologyandthevisualarts.Theprogramalsoincludesaparenttrainingcomponentwhicheducatesparentsontheimportanceofearlylearning.ItalsoprovidesliteracyclassesandEnglishasaSecondLanguageinstruction.

CentroNia’ssuccessisdueinparttoitsmissiontoprovideresourcesandservicescateringtotheentirefamily.SomeofthemanyprogramsfoundthroughCentroNiaprovideduallanguagetrainingandeducationalservicesintheareasofCommunity Education,engagingchildrenandadultsintheircommunities;Food and Nutrition,encouragingwholesomelifestylesforchildrenandtheirfamilies;D.C. Bilingual Public Charter School, providingqualityK-12thgradeeducationtoensurehighacademicachievement; CentroNia Institute,providingprofessionaldevelopmentandresourcestoeducatorsinthecommunitywhoareworkingwiththistargetpopulation.

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·Vocabulary Improvement and Oral Language Enrichment through Stories (VIOLETS)

Oneofthetargetedlanguage-basedprograms,promotedbyReadyatFiveandfundedbyMSDE’sDivisionofEarlyChildhoodDevelopment,isdesignedtoenhanceorallanguageandvocabularyenrichmentdevelopedbythisorganizationisThe Vocabulary Improvement and Oral Language Enrichment through Stories (VIOLETS)program.VIOLETSisanearlychildhoodprogram,developedbyDianeAugust,seniorresearchscientistwiththeCenterforAppliedLinguistics,todeveloporallanguage,pre-literacyskills,andbackgroundknowledgeinyoungEnglish-languagelearner(ELL)childrenandchildrenwithlowexpressivelanguageskills(typicallylow-incomeyoungsters).Thecurriculumuses12BigBookversionsofpopularchildren’sbooks,chosenonthebasisoftheirquality,theirappealtoyoungchildren,andtheextenttowhichtheircontentalignswiththePre-KMarylandModelforSchoolReadiness(MMSR)standardsinthedomainsofphysicaldevelopment,languageandliteracy,socialandemotionaldevelopment,mathematicalthinking,scientificthinking,socialstudies,andthearts.

In the VIOLETS approach, carefullyselected vocabulary words and idiomaticexpressions that occur in the stories aretaughtbefore,duringandafterstoryreading.In addition, paraphrasing and questioningtechniques are employed during readingto further develop students’ oral languageproficiencyandbuildchildren’sbackgroundknowledge.Theprogramalso includes thepresentation of ‘core knowledge’ themesthat tie the book to state standards and alanguage awareness component in whichpre-readingskillsandconceptsofprintare

introduced.Audioversionsofthechildren’sbooks read in Spanish are included onCDssothattheycanbeusedinalisteningcenterwith smaller copiesof thebooks tohelp Spanish-speaking ELLs prepare forthe English read-aloud. The vocabularyand concepts introduced during the weekare reinforced throughadditionalengagingactivities that involve writing, drawing,singing,andgames.

An evaluation of theVIOLETSprogram’sapproach indicated that there were largeandsignificantgainsforbothkeyandbasicwordsbetweenthepretestandpost-test;bothnative-English-speakingstudentsandELLsshowed overall gains in their vocabularyknowledge.

Timeconstraintslimitedvisitsandone-on-oneconversationswithotherEarlyChildhoodCentersandservicesinMarylandwhichhavebeenalsoprovidingprogramsforHispanicsintheircommunities.Themainpurposeofthisreportwasnottoevaluateallsuchprogramsinthestate,buttoaddressthereasonsforthelackofparticipationinEarlyChildhoodEducationprogramsbyHispanicsinMaryland.

OneofthepresumedcharacteristicsofHispanicfamiliescommonlycitedbyeducatorsandpolicymakersistheapparentpreferencefor“informal”childcarearrangementsasopposedtoorganizedchildcaresuchaschildcarecenters,non/publicnurseries,pre-school,HeadStart,orfamilychildcare.Perhapsinsomeinstancesthismaybethecase;howevernodata(stateornational)wasfoundtosupportit.Hopefully,thisreporthashelpedtorevealthewholestory.

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CONCLUSION

Thegoalofthisreporthasbeentwofold:

·Outlineacogentcaseforthe“demographicimperative”thatHispanicchildrenagesbirth-8yearsposeforMaryland’spubliceducationsystem’sblueprinttomaintainitsplaceasanationalleaderandstrivetowardworld-classstatus;

·RevealthosebarriersthroughoutthestatewhichimpedeparticipationinearlychildhoodprogramsbyHispanicoriginchildren’sfamilies.

Hispanicsarethefastestgrowingandyoungestracial/ethnicgroupinMaryland.ThenumberofHispanicchildrenasaproportionofallchildrenhasbeenincreasingmorerapidlythanthenumberofnon-HispanicWhiteandAfricanAmericanchildrenforallagegroups.Yet,asthedatashows,theyareunderrepresentedinearlyeducationprogramsthroughoutthestate.Thisreporthaspresentedsomeoftheresearchthatsupportstheimportanceoftheconnectionbetweenearlyliteracyskillsdevelopmentandlaterliteracyachievement,andtheimpactofinstructionalinterventionsonchildren’slearning.Giventheeducationalchallengesthatthispopulationposes,itisrecommendedthatMarylandfocusesonthiscriticalperiodofearlyyears(birthto8years)toaddressyoungHispanicchildren’seducationalneedstostrategicallytakeMaryland’seducationalsystemtothenextlevel.

Anotherimportantpointhighlightedinthisreportisthenotionthatthemultifacetednatureofthisproblemmustalsotakeintoaccountnewpoliciesandsystemsofacademicintervention.Hispanicchildrenarenotahomogeneousgroupfortheyareproductsofdiverseimmigrationhistoriesandlinguisticprofiles.Thus,avarietyofapproachesneedtobeconsideredtoaddressthelinguisticandculturalelementsoflearningandearlyinterventionwithinthecontextofamulti-generationalserviceapproach.Research,policy,andpracticemustaddressthemulti-facetedopportunitiesandchallengesthataretypicalofthisdemographic

group.Inparticular,wemustfocusontheyoungestsegmentofthisgroupbecausewehavenotgonefarenoughindocumentingtheirneeds,duetothepaucityofresearchoneffectiveinterventions.

TheurgencytoaddresstheeducationalchallengesofyoungchildrenofHispanicorigininMaryland,aswellasitspoliciesandresearchimplications,isentirelyappropriateforfourverypracticalreasons.

First,thepolicyimportanceofthisagegroupisrootedinthenotionsofcriticalperiodsofinterventionandratesofreturntoinvestment.Inotherwords,effortstosupporthistoricallydisadvantagedgroupshavethebiggestpayoffwhentargetedattheyoung.

Asecond reasonistostudyHispanicchildren’sfamilysocioeconomicstatus(SES)asafundamentalcauseofrace/ethnicdisparities.Hispanicchildrenarethemostsocioeconomically

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disadvantagedgroupintheU.S.Therefore,whenconsideringinterventions,wemustalsoconsidereconomicdisadvantageasmuchaslanguageproficiencyforthedisparitiesrelatedtoHispanicstatuswhichisunderliningtheimportanceofhowthetwoarehighlyconflated(Glick,&White,2003,p.589).

Third,researchinthisareaneedstokeepthefocusontheexplicitwaysthattheoutcomesofthechildgenerationinthispopulationaretiedtothecircumstancesoftheparentgeneration.Inotherwords,policyrecommendationsneednotconcernonlyinterventionstargetingchildren.Instead,weneedtothinkofwaysthroughwhichimprovingtheirparents’livesmayalsohelpthechildren.

Last but not leastwemustconsiderinterventionsdesignedtoaddresstwostagesofthechallengesfacingyoungchildrenofHispanicorigin:onerootedinsocialdemography;the migration process,andanotherindevelopmentalpsychology;the processes of adaptation that newcomer Hispanic youth and their parents undergo once they are here(Crosnoe,2002,p.12).Wehavealwaysappliedinterventionsthataddressonlythe“arrivinghere”orthe“migrationprocess.”

Thesenotionstendtorepresentaonetimeshort-termband-aidthatoverlooksthe“adaptationprocess”.ThelatterismorecomplexandrequiresagreaterunderstandingofhowimmigrantfamilieswithyoungchildrenadjusttolifeintheU.S.,experienceparenting,andlearntonavigatetheU.S.EarlyChildhoodCareandEducationsystem.Ifthe“adaptationprocess”isnotconsidereditcouldundercutourabilitytocreatethemosteffectiveprograms,studies,andpoliciesthatwilladequatelyaddressandsupportimmigrantfamilies.

Finally,asMarylandpreparestolaunchitsthirdwaveofreforminpursuitofestablishingaworld-classeducationsystem,itmustalsotakeintoaccounttheopportunitiestoexplore,develop,anddetermineeffectiveandscalablestrategiestoincreaseschoolengagementandlearningforchildrenofHispanicorigin.Asaresult,thisproductionofnewknowledgeandcutting-edge,innovativepracticeswillnotonlyprovideopportunitiesandcontinuedacademicimprovementforthesechildren,butalsocementMaryland’sstatusasanationalleaderwithaWorldClassEducationSystem.

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REFERENCESThetermLatinoandHispanicareusedinterchangeablyinthispaper,followingcurrentUSCensusBureauPractice.

August,D.,&Shanahan,T.(2006)Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language Minority Youth and Children.Mahwah,NJ:LawrenceErlbaumAssociates.

Barnett,W.S.,Yarosz,D.J.,ThomasJ.,&Blanco,D.(2006).Two-Way and Monolingual English Immersion in Preschool Education:An Experimental Comparison. NewBrunswick,NJ:NationalInstituteforEarlyEducationResearch.

Barrueco,S.Lopez,M.&Miles,J.C.(2007).ParentingBehaviorsintheFirstYearofLife:ANationalComparisonofLatinosandOtherCulturalCommunities.Journal of Latinos and Education, 6(3),253-265.

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Garcia,Eugene.&Jensen,Bryant,(2009)EarlyEducationalOpportunitiesforChildrenofHispanicOrigins.SocialPolicyReport,,XXIII,II.p.3.

Garcia,Eugene&Jensen,Bryant,(2007)AdvancingSchoolReadinessforYoungHispanicChildrenthroughUniversalKindergarten.Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy,p.19,25-37.

Glick,J.E.&White,M.J.(2003).Theacademictrajectoriesofimmigrantyouth:Analysiswithinandacrosscohorts Demography,40,589-603.

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Hernandez,D.(2006)Young Hispanic Children in the US: A Demographic Portrait Based on Census 2000.UniversityatAlbanyStateUniversity,NY:AReporttotheNationalTaskForceonEarlyChildhoodEducationforHispanics.

IllinoisFacilityFund.(2003).We need more day care centers: Latino families and child care preferences in metropolitan Chicago[Online].Available:http://iff.org/resources/content/3/6/documents/iff_Latino_study.pdf[2003,Agust15].

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The following individuals are acknowledged for their contributions to this report.

Authorofreport:MariaC.Torres,Ph.D.,DivisionofAcademicPolicy,MarylandStateDepartmentofEducation

RolfGrafwallner,Ph.D.,AssistantStateSuperintendent,DivisionofEarlyChildhoodDevelopment,MarylandStateDepartmentofEducation

AliciaSingleton,Research&Evaluation,DivisionofEarlyChildhoodDevelopment,MarylandStateDepartmentofEducation

DeeDeeRace,TowsonUniversityRegionalEconomicStudiesInstitute.

LindiMitchellBuddDivisionofEarlyChildhoodDevelopment,MarylandStateDepartmentofEducation

200 West Baltimore Street Baltimore, Maryland 21201

410-767-0335 www.marylandpublicschools.org


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Early Care and Education Experiences for Children of