Early Education for Hispanic Children

The Learning Curve
News, research and policy information from FCD
Issue No. 75
April 23, 2009

Improving Early Educational Opportunities

A recent Social Policy Brief, Young Hispanic Children: Boosting Opportunities for Learning, from the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) makes the case that investing in dual-language instead of English-only programs and encouraging PreK attendance can improve learning opportunities for Hispanic children and increase their chances for success.

The Brief summarizes the Social Policy Report, Early Educational Opportunities for Children of Hispanic Origins, by Eugene Garcia and Bryant Jensen of Arizona State University. The authors argue that young Hispanic children ages three to eight should be a high priority for policymakers, educators, and researchers. They recommend how to expand and improve PreK-3rd educational opportunities for young Hispanic learners at the federal, state, and local levels.

FCD Young Scholar, Robert Crosnoe of the University of Texas-Austin, provides commentary on this report.
Additional Resources

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Para Nuestros Ninos: Expanding and Improving Early Education for Hispanics
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Mexican Roots, American Schools: Helping the Children from Mexican Immigrant Families Succeed
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The National Task Force on Early Childhood Education for Hispanics

For more, go to: www.fcd-us.org, www.srcd.org