Facts In Action

There are more than 35 million Latinos living in the United States and its territories. By the year 2020, it is estimated that one in four children will come from a Latino family. As preschool classrooms become more and more diverse, it is increasingly important that early education professionals are aware of cultural differences and are able to work with parents and children in a culturally and linguistically sensitive way.

The Center for Children and Families at Education Development Center identifies key cultural values that ECE professionals need to be aware of when working with Latino children and their families, along with suggestions for caregivers and center directors:

Familia/Family: Forming Alliances with the Family Network – for Latinos, the family network is a central part of life, and childrearing is viewed as a shared responsibility. So connecting and working with the extended family is vital in serving Latinos

• Know the student’s family, extended family and social network

• Involve members of the community inteaching, planning and implementation of lessons and activities – families can be a resource to teachers and programs

• Reach out to the student’s family and community leaders to act as liaisons and/or interpreters to communicate with the family in the most comfortable and respectful way

Pertenencia/Belonging: Creating a Sense of Family – Latinos’ identity is strongly tied to their sense of belonging, whether to their family, community or other group.

• Create an environment where teachers and students are invested in each other. Provide opportunities for children to identify with the group and develop relationships with peers and adults

• Engage children in activities where they can share information about their families and neighborhoods; acknowledge that each child is already the member of a group

• Allow children and teachers to use the language most comfortable for them; try to pair Spanish-speaking adults with Latino children

Educacion/Education: Learning Together – For Latino’s, education is a social process. “Success” is not about individual achievement and is directly tied to the influences of others

• Support children and praise their accomplishments by connecting them to family influence – i.e. telling them how proud they make their families

• If possible, arrange children in multi-age groupings so they can learn through observation, much as they would learn from siblings and family members

• Use a mentor/apprenticeship model to allow children to be both student and expert, learning empathy and communication skills

Source: Connections and Commitments: A Latino-Based Framework for Early Childhood Educators, C. Eggers-Pierola, The Education Development Center, Inc., 2002.

Facts in Action, March 2004