3-057 - Protective and Risk Factors in Low Income Hispanic Children’s Early Home Environments

Session Type: Conversation Roundtable

Integrative Statement

Hispanic children currently make up roughly one in four of all children in the United States and are projected to represent 1 in 3 children by. As a group, Hispanic children—the majority of whom are U.S. born—face some of the highest rates of poverty, with nearly two thirds living in or near poverty as compared to their non-Hispanic peers. How Hispanic children, especially those in low income households, fare will have an enormous impact on the future social and economic fabric of the United States. What we know suggests that while Hispanic children lag behind their counterparts in cognitive and academic skills during the early years, their social skills are at par or exceed those of their low-income counterparts. Moreover, compared to low-income African American children, low-income Hispanic children’s cognitive and academic skills tend to experience steeper improvements with Hispanic children catching up to their African American peers. There is little information about how both protective and risk factors in the home environment as well as cultural factors, particularly during children’s earliest years, contribute to the observed variability in racial/ethnic disparities in Hispanic children’s developmental outcomes. What is understood is primarily through the lens of black-white differences among children. Drawing from a diverse interdisciplinary group of scholars, this roundtable, moderated by Dr. Lina Guzman, will describe existing research and theory on Hispanic children as well as gaps as well as mechanisms for dissemination and mentorship for early career scholars.

Sub Unit

• Family Context & Processes

Moderator

• Lina Guzman, Child Trends

Panelists

• Maria Ramos-Olazagasti, Child Trends

• Michelle Blocklin, Abt Associates

• Danielle Annik Crosby, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• Julia Mendez Smith, University of North Carolina at Greensboro