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November 2008: Children of Immigrants
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Ask The Expert
Maria D. Chavez
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Maria D. Chavez, EdD, is the founder and former executive director of the Family Development Program at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. Dr. Chavez is a nationally acclaimed authority on bilingual, multicultural education and on creating effective family support systems in communities. Prior to her retirement, Dr. Chavez established and managed the Office of Community Planning, Training, and Research and Evaluation for New Mexico’s Children, Youth and Families Department. In this column, she responds to questions regarding multicultural family support and education. | Tell a Friend Subscribe Now! |
The Lives of America’s Youngest Children in Immigrant Families
Donald J. Hernandez, Nancy A. Denton, and Suzanne E. Macartney
Children of immigrants account for one in four (25%) young children in the U.S. Because their future prospects are important to all Americans, this article uses Census 2000 data to portray their lives. Results show that 93% of young children in immigrant families are American citizens who were born in the U.S., 56% have at least one U.S.-citizen parent, and 46% live in family-owned homes. They also live in strong families with vigorous work ethics. At the same time, many confront challenges associated with limited parental education and poverty, as well as constrained access to early education and low rates of health insurance coverage. Public policies can help ensure these children’s success and their contributions to America when they become adults.
A Historical Perspective on Early 20th-Century Immigration
Anne M. Brophy
Social workers, educators, psychologists, sociologists, and other social planning professionals have been concerned about the children of immigrants for over a century. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, social policies and practices toward immigrant families were based on negative assumptions about immigrant culture that characterized immigrants as “peasants” who needed to be “Americanized.” This article explores how policies and practices evolved over the first half of the 20th century in response to changing perceptions of immigrant culture and new theories of child development.
Supporting Immigrant Family Strengths: Promoting Optimal Health, Health Care, and Development
Jane M. Brotanek, Lisa Oglesby Rocha, and Glenn Flores
An extensive amount of research documents that a lower level of acculturation is associated with better health outcomes among U.S. immigrants, despite the many hardships these families face. It is likely that cultural practices and strong family networks contribute to this phenomenon, which has been termed the healthy immigrant effect. This article examines the healthy immigrant effect among Latino families, the fastest-growing U.S. racial/ethnic group, and describes several health disparities that burden Latino children and families and exist alongside these favorable outcomes. The authors present 2 community-based programs as models that successfully reduce or eliminate disparities in the health and development of young Latino children, using family-centered interventions capitalizing on traditional cultural strengths.
The Cognitive Consequences of Early Bilingualism
Hanako Yoshida
The study of bilingual children shows that learning and using two languages may affect fundamental aspects of cognitive and neural development that influence how knowledge is acquired and used. The positive effects of bilingualism are seen most profoundly in what are known as executive function or self-control tasks, and in how the knowledge that young bilingual speakers have in one language is transferred to the other language. The author explores how the findings about cognitive flexibility among bilinguals are critical issues for classroom learning.
Immigrants’ Access to Public Assistance: Missed Opportunities Following Welfare Reform
Danielle A. Crosby and Bridget E. Hatfield
The Personal Responsibility and Work Reconciliation Act of 1996 reformed public assistance programs and reduced the safety net of supports for low-income families. Children living in low-income immigrant families face particular challenges in the current policy environment. In this article, the authors consider what these changes have meant for infants and toddlers, present recent data from a national study of early childhood, and discuss how this information might be used to better support optimal development among young children in newcomer families.
The ALAS Project: Removing Barriers to Mental Health Care for Latina Immigrant Mothers
Jamie Rogers, Krista M. Perreira, Linda Beeber, and Todd A. Schwartz
As the Latino population in the U.S. grows, clinicians, researchers, and practitioners have begun to develop strategies to help Latino children and their parents adapt to life in the United States. This article describes how the stressors of immigration contribute to the development of depressive symptoms among Latina mothers and how these symptoms affect mothers’ relationships with their young children. The authors describe the ALAS project, a program designed to help Spanish-speaking immigrant women cope with depression, acculturation stressors, and the needs of their young infants and toddlers.
The Impact of Immigration Enforcement Strategies on Infants and Toddlers
Randy Capps, Miriam Calderón, and Ajay Chaudry
Researchers, advocates, and community agencies are beginning to question the impact of U.S. immigration enforcement strategies on very young children. In particular, immigration raids may suddenly and sometimes violently separate children from their parents, place them in unstable living environments, and create barriers to accessing needed services. Community-based organizations such as child care centers, child welfare systems, and mental health agencies are facing new challenges to provide support and resources to these children, but may not be adequately prepared to meet their complex needs. Although the federal government has issued several new policies to provide greater protection to children during law enforcement activities, many unanswered questions remain about care and protection of the children of immigrant parents during and after the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws.
Also in This Issue:
Practical Tips and Tools: Dual Language Learners in Early Care and Education Settings—Strategies for supporting infants and toddlers who are learning two languages.
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