Collaboration to Improve Quality of Early Childhood Education for Low-Income Hispanic Children

• In Event: 434 - Section on Children and Youth Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 10. Policy, Practice, and Youth Well-being

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a collaboration of an Hispanic Serving Institution of Higher Education and a non-profit child care center to raise the quality of classroom instruction for low-income Hispanic children. The collaboration included professional development and in-class mentoring for early education teachers. Classrooms were observed pre- and post-intervention using the ECERS and ICERS classroom observation scales. Teachers participated in focus group interviews pre-and post-interventions. Classrooms made significant improvements in key areas but did not meet NAEYC standards or reach "excellent" scores. Teacher comments are included. We conclude that a Director and a Board who support goals of high levels of instruction are important to assure high quality programs for low-income students. Early childhood rograms for low-income Hispanic children that do not offer high quality learning environments continue to promote inequities in achievement when children enter formal K-12 schooling.

Authors

• Harriett D. Romo, University of Texas-San Antonio

• Sophia Ortiz, University of Texas-San Antonio

• Amber Aquino, Child Protective Services

• Sarah Shah, University of Toronto

• Eugene Tebuteb, University of Texas-San Antonio