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High-Quality Pre-Kindergarten for Hispanic Children is Key to Closing
Achievement Gap

New report proposes policy solutions for increasing Hispanic participation in pre-k

(Los Angeles, CA) - Ensuring access to high-quality pre-kindergarten for Hispanic children helps to close the achievement gap and is an important step toward improving K-12 education according to Pre-K and Latinos: The Foundation for America's Future. The report was released today by Pre-K Now, a national advocacy and public education organization which works with states to advance pre-k for all children.

The report notes that Hispanic children are more likely than whites to start school without the foundational math and reading knowledge and skills necessary for academic success. Studies have shown that these disparities persist throughout Hispanics' educational careers. However, pre-k has been shown to improve these skills in all children - and particularly in Hispanic children. According to the most recent Census reports, one in five children under the age of five in the U.S. is Hispanic. Unfortunately just 40 percent of Hispanic children attend pre-k compared with 60 percent of their white and African American peers.

"Policymakers and program leaders need to improve outreach to Hispanic communities to be sure that families know how and where pre-k programs are available," said Danielle Gonzales, Deputy State Program Director for Pre-K Now and co-author of the report. "Eliminating obstacles to enrollment in pre-k, such as affordability and limited availability will help to ensure that Hispanic children have access to this important first step in their educational careers."

Additional recommendations in the report include:

• Pre-k programs should engage all families in meaningful ways in the school and classroom regardless of the language they speak;
• States should adopt at least one bilingual or Spanish language pre-k curriculum; and
• States should establish appropriate measures to assess how well programs are providing services to all children, with a particular focus on first-language development and second-language acquisition.

"The evidence is clear that supporting a child's home language in school improves second language acquisition and overall academic performance," said Eugene Garcia, vice president for University-School Partnerships, former dean of Arizona State University's College of Education and co-author of the report. "States must recruit bilingual teachers and facilitate Spanish language training for existing staff to ensure culturally and linguistically appropriate services for Hispanic children.

"Eliminating the achievement gap is fundamental to improving our K-12 system," Gonzales said. "Improving access to pre-k for Hispanic children is a proven way to accomplish these goals."

** Download a PDF version of the report by clicking this link:
Pre-K and Latinos: The Foundation for America's Future

An executive summary is available for download in English and Spanish.

Pre-K Now collaborates with state advocates and policymakers to lead a movement for high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten for all three and four year olds. The following funders have contributed to making this important work possible: The Pew Charitable Trusts, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, CityBridge Foundation, and the Schumann Fund for New Jersey.

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