"When Parents...": What Parental Involvement Means to Working, Low-Income, Latina Mothers

• In Event: 79.043 - Critical Early Childhood Policy and Practice Issues

Abstract

To fully understand the wide range of experiences that all children are exposed to before kindergarten entry, we need to examine how culturally, socio-economically and linguistically diverse mothers conceptualize parent involvement during their children’s’ early school years. Thus, this study explores how low-income, Latina mothers who have a child transitioning from Head Start to kindergarten define parental involvement. Findings derived from 17 in-depth, qualitative interviews reveal that mothers included home- and school-based activities in their definitions of parental involvement. Adding to the literature, mothers reported broader, and new conceptualizations of parental involvement. Our findings provide an expanded and inclusive definition of parental involvement, as well as evidence of cultural continuities and discontinuities across children’s homes.

Authors

• Sarai Coba Rodriguez, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Elizabeth Cambray, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Robin L. Jarrett, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign