PRESS RELEASE REGARDING NEWLY PUBLISHED REPORT
CHILDREN: EARLY: CHILDHOOD : EDUCATION: PRESCHOOL AND CHILDCARE : MINORITIES: NEWS : LANGUAGE: ENGLISH SECOND LANGUAGE: Language and Cultural Barriers Hinder Progress for Growing Number of U.S.-Born Children in Immigrant Families WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 5, 2004)A new report released today: Children of Immigrant Children Tuesday, October 5, 2004 LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL BARRIERS HINDER PROGRESS FOR GROWING NUMBER OF U.S.-BORN CHILDREN IN IMMIGRANT FAMILIES The Future of Children The Future of Children: A Publication of The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and The Brookings Institution. <http://www.futureofchildren.org/newsletter2861/ newsletter_show.htm?doc_id=241921> A shorter URL for the above link: <http://snipurl.com/9pmg> Stronger Outreach Needed to Educate Non-English-Speaking Parents about College Requirements and Support Programs Available for Their Children. WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 5, 2004)A new report released today finds that immigrant parents' lack of English skills leaves too many children to navigate complex educational and health systems on their own, even at a young age. One out of every five children in the United States has an immigrant parent, and many of these children do not speak English at home. A total of 18 percent of U.S. children speak a language other than English at home, and the number rises dramatically to 72 percent of children in immigrant families. Twenty-six percent of children of immigrants live in households where no one age 14 or older has a strong command of the English language. While the problems facing immigrant groups vary widely, authors of the latest journal issue of The Future of Children from The David and Lucile Packard Foundation suggest that one of the most serious problems is when immigrant parents have limited English skills and cannot help with homework, encourage their children to be involved in after-school activities, get involved in the PTA, understand how to apply for health insurance, or help fill out a college application. The report recommends that schools and community-based organizations work aggressively to provide parent support groups and family literacy programs to ensure that children are not left behind due to their parents' lack of English skills. Surprisingly, for all of the disadvantages immigrant children must overcome, they often are in better health than their native peers. Children born to immigrant mothers have fewer incidents of low birth weight and lower infant mortality rates than children born to native-born mothers. Children of immigrants also have lower rates of asthma and obesity, according to the report. However, the report also found that these relative strengths can dissipate by the time children of immigrants become teenagers. The report, entitled Children of Immigrant Families, includes articles authored by leading experts on child development and immigration, as well as a synthesis of research, analysis, and policy recommendations. Though approaching the issue from different disciplines and perspectives, the report's authors repeatedly identified immigrant parents' lack of English skills as a primary barrier to signing children up for preschool, getting them involved in after-school activities, and helping them meet college entrance requirements. ------------------------------------------- The complete Press Release concerning this just released publication may be read at the URL above. Sincerely, David Dillard Temple University (215) 204 - 4584 [EMAIL PROTECTED] <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/net-gold> <http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/ringleaders/davidd.html> <http://www.kovacs.com/medref-l/medref-l.html> <http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/net-gold.html> <http://www.LIFEofFlorida.org> World Business Community Advisor <http://www.WorldBusinessCommunity.org> _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
