Latino Parents and Their Kids’ Education
“For many Latinos, the home is a nurturing and supportive environment, but it’s not necessarily infused with rich language and cognitive challenges,” says Dr. Fuller from UC Berkeley. According to his research, Hispanic moms often wait until kindergarten to start school and to read with their kids. The Los Angeles Times article on why Latino parents often aren’t as proactive in their kids’ education, compares Hispanic moms to white moms, who think around age two is the right time to start preschool.
Statistics indicate that less than 50 percent of Latino 4-year-olds attend preschool in comparison to 70 percent of white kids. For economic reasons, but also cultural, a significant number of Hispanic parents prefer to depend more on family members for childcare versus a preschool program, it states.
Studies also show that reading aloud improves a child’s reading comprehension and gives them a bigger vocabulary, says the article “Class Differences in Child-Rearing Are on the Rise.” About 70 percent of parents with a college degree say they read daily with their kids compared to only 30 percent of those with a high school diploma or less, like Hispanics and other minorities.
These findings illustrate the need for more widespread parental education and federal funding for programs at home to help guide disadvantaged students, like ELLs and/or low-income families to develop reading and literacy skills at home in the early years with their children.
It’s not that Hispanic parents don’t want their kids to succeed. It just takes time to figure out how American culture is different from the one in which many grew up in. For some parents who were not read to as kids, they may need support in understanding why reading is important and how to read a book from cover to cover. Once they do know, though, they become actively involved.
Educating parents, one school at a time, The Latino Family Literacy Project is making a real difference in helping Latino parents become more involved in their child’s literacy process. The Project offers various family literacy programs from Infant through Highschool for college readiness. Teachers can attend an online webinar to learn how a culturally relevant and meaningful program with parents at their school can transform their school participation for academic success with their kids.