somali girlChild Care Choices of Parents of
English Language Learners

Funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children, Youth and Families, Office of Policy, Research and Evaluation

A refugee is a person who has been forced from his or her home and crossed an international border for safety. He or she must have a well-founded fear of persecution in his or her native country, on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

Immigration to this country has increased significantly in recent years. While Mexican immigrants are the largest population of immigrants in the United States (39%), the rest of the population is widely varied, with no one nation accounting for more than 3% of all immigrants. Despite the significant benefits quality ECE programs offer to immigrant and refugee children, their rates of enrollment are significantly lower than for comparable children of U.S.-born parents. In order to better address the hispanic girlneeds of these new American families, providers and state policymakers need more in-depth knowledge about the perceptions of these families and the factors that influence their choice of care.