Fulfilling the Promise of Preschool for All: Insights into Issues Affecting Access for Selected Immigrant Groups in Chicago

Autor/inn/en	Adams, Gina; McDaniel, Marla
Institution	Urban Institute
Titel	Fulfilling the Promise of Preschool for All: Insights into Issues Affecting Access for Selected Immigrant Groups in Chicago
Quelle	(2009), (57 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Focus Groups; Foreign Countries; Immigrants; Access to Education; Preschool Children; Early Intervention; At Risk Students; State Standards; Curriculum; Teacher Certification; Teacher Student Ratio; Small Classes; Screening Tests; Professional Development; Interviews; Urban Areas; Parent Attitudes; Barriers; Low Income Groups; Educational Policy; Enrollment Trends; Cultural Influences; Transportation; Culturally Relevant Education; Government Role; Illinois; Nigeria; Pakistan + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Immigrant; Immigrantin; Immigranten; Education; Access; Bildung; Zugang; Bildungszugang; Pre-school age; Preschool age; Child; Children; Pre-school education; Preschool education; Vorschulalter; Kind; Kinder; Vorschulkind; Vorschulkinder; Vorschulerziehung; Vorschule; Curricula; Lehrplan; Rahmenplan; Lehrer-Schüler-Relation; Screening-Verfahren; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Urban area; Stadtregion; Elternverhalten; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Cultural influence; Kultureinfluss; Verkehrswesen
Abstract	Preschool for All (PFA) is a part-day (2.5 hours for up to five days a week) early childhood education program for 3- and 4-year-olds in Illinois. The program is voluntary to families and is designed to be a high-quality preschool option for all children--especially those at risk of academic failure. PFA was implemented in 2006 and is free to parents. Some key components include: (1) curriculum that meets Illinois Early Learning Standards; (2) set teacher credential and training standards; (3) a maximum staff-child ratio of 1 to 10; and (4) additional features including screening and professional development. The study involved interviews with families from Nigeria and Pakistan living on Chicago's North Side to examine their experiences and perspectives around accessing Preschool for All. Researchers conducted focus groups with parents and spoke with PFA providers for their perspective on issues families raised. The findings suggest Nigerian and Pakistani families can face numerous barriers accessing Preschool for All. While some barriers are unique to their immigration status, others are experienced by other low-income and vulnerable families as well. The report concludes with implications for policy and recommendations for future research. If the findings of this study are true in other parts of Chicago and the state, it suggests that the PFA program could be changed in several ways to facilitate enrollment among immigrant populations. The findings also underscore the importance of talking with families about their experiences, and of not assuming that the experiences of any particular immigrant group would be identical to the experiences of another. Appended to this report are: (1) Incidence of Immigrant Populations in Illinois and Metro Chicago (2000); and (2) Study Methodology. (Contains 22 notes and 1 table.) (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Urban Institute. 2100 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20037. Tel: 202-261-5687; Fax: 202-467-5775; Web site: http://www.urban.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10