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Childcare, language-use, and vocabulary of second-generation Latino immigrant children growing up in a new immigrant enclave in the United States

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This article describes oral language and early literacy skills in Spanish and English for a sample of 319 bilingual children in Massachusetts and Maryland (ECS) and a comparison group of 144 monolingual Spanish-speaking children in Puerto Rico (PRC). Children were assessed as they entered and exited pre-kindergarten programs. Data collection included four subtests of the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery and a researcher-developed phonological awareness task. Results show that, on average, children in the ECS sample performed below average in both English and Spanish when compared to monolingual norms and, despite some early literacy and oral language gains during their pre-kindergarten year, continue to lag behind monolingual children of the same age. Children in the ECS sample performed better in the early literacy tasks than in the oral language tasks in both English and Spanish. On average, the PRC sample scored significantly better than the ECS sample in Spanish oral language skills, but lower in phonological awareness skills. Educational implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Article
About half of 2,581 low-income mothers reported reading daily to their children. At 14 months, the odds of reading daily increased by the child being firstborn or female. At 24 and 36 months, these odds increased by maternal verbal ability or education and by the child being firstborn or of Early Head Start status. White mothers read more than did Hispanic or African American mothers. For English-speaking children, concurrent reading was associated with vocabulary and comprehension at 14 months, and with vocabulary and cognitive development at 24 months. A pattern of daily reading over the 3 data points for English-speaking children and daily reading at any 1 data point for Spanish-speaking children predicted children's language and cognition at 36 months. Path analyses suggest reciprocal and snowballing relations between maternal bookreading and children's vocabulary.
Article
Objective. In this article, we use data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey—Kindergarten Cohort to analyze the links between preschool attendance and the school readiness of children of immigrants. Methods. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey—Kindergarten Cohort, we estimate multivariate regression models for the effects of preschool on school readiness for children of immigrants and children of natives. Results. We find that children whose mothers were born outside the United States are less likely to be enrolled in school or center-based preschool programs than other children. We find that preschool attendance raises reading and math scores as much for children of immigrants as it does for other children. Attending preschool also raises the English-language proficiency of children of immigrants. Although not the main focus of our study, we examined the effects of Head Start, and found that this program improves children's English proficiency, with especially large effects for children of immigrants whose mothers have less than a high school education; in this latter group, Head Start also improved math scores. Conclusions. Given that preschool benefits children of immigrants as much as it does children of natives and given that children of immigrants are less likely to be enrolled, our findings strongly suggest that enrolling more children of immigrants in preschool would help reduce inequality in skills at school entry.
Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Center for Early Care and Education-Dual Language Learners
  • D C Castro
  • E E Garcia
  • A M Markos
Castro, D. C., Garcia, E. E., & Markos, A. M. (2013). Dual language learners: Research informing policy. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Center for Early Care and Education-Dual Language Learners. Retrieved from http://cecerdll.fpg.unc.edu/document-library
Toward understanding preferences and use of early care and education. Research policy report submited to Los Angeles County First First 5 L.A. Commission on Children and Families
  • C Howes
  • E Zucker
Howes, C., & Zucker, E. (2003). Toward understanding preferences and use of early care and education. Research policy report submited to Los Angeles County First First 5 L.A. Commission on Children and Families. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Center for Improving Child Care Quality, Graduate School of Education.
An update on state budgets cuts
  • N Johnson
  • P Oliff
  • E Williams
Johnson, N., Oliff, P., & Williams, E. (2011). An update on state budgets cuts. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Retrieved from http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=1214
Conditions of education 2016: Racial/ethnic enrollment in public schools (NCES
  • G Kena
  • W Hussar
  • J Mcfarland
  • C De Brey
  • L Musu-Gillette
  • X Wang
  • M Ossolinski
Kena, G., Hussar, W., McFarland, J., de Brey, C., Musu-Gillette, L., Wang, X., … Ossolinski, M. (2016). Conditions of education 2016: Racial/ethnic enrollment in public schools (NCES 2016144). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
Keynote article: The emergentist program
  • W O'grady
O'Grady, W. (2008). Keynote article: The emergentist program. Lingua, 118, 447-464.
PreK-3rd: Raising the educational performance of English language learners (ELLS)
  • D Russakoff
Russakoff, D. (2011). PreK-3rd: Raising the educational performance of English language learners (ELLS). PreK-3rd policy to action brief No. 6. New York, NY: Foundation for Child Development. Retrieved from http://fcd-us.org/sites/default/ files/FCD%20ELLsBrief6.pdf
Language as cultural practices: Mexicanos en el norte
  • S R Schecter
  • R Bayley
Schecter, S. R., & Bayley, R. (2002). Language as cultural practices: Mexicanos en el norte. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Technical supplement. Woodcock-Muñoz language survey-revised normative update
  • F A Schrank
  • K S Mcgrew
  • D E H Dailey
Schrank, F. A., McGrew, K. S., & Dailey, D. E. H. (2010). Technical supplement. Woodcock-Muñoz language survey-revised normative update. Rolling Meadows, IL: Riverside Publishing.
Beginning literacy with language: Young children learning at home and school
  • P O Tabors
  • K A Roach
  • C E Snow
Tabors, P. O., Roach, K. A., & Snow, C. E. (2001). Home language and literacy environment. In D. K. Dickinson, & P. O. Tabors (Eds.), Beginning literacy with language: Young children learning at home and school (pp. 111-138). Baltimore: Brookes Publishing.