Migrant preschool children's school readiness and early elementary school performance

ABSTRACT

Little is known about the early educational performance of children in migrant farmworker families. The authors examined the school readiness and early school success of 289 four-year-old preschool children of migrant families attending Redlands Christian Migrant Association centers. Children's school readiness was assessed and public school records were used for longitudinal follow-up. Children improved on age-4 school readiness domains, and although some struggled with emergent English literacy, many performed well on school readiness measures and later coursework. Children quickly became proficient in oral English, and had above-average school attendance. Many scored low on high-stakes tests; however, typically well enough for grade promotion. Students in the sample were comparable to similar students in poverty. School teachers and administrators should have high expectations for students from migrant families because many of them do stay in the public school system, and appear to be quite resilient despite many challenges they face.

KEYWORDS:

• Migrant and seasonal farmworkers
• migrant children
• seasonal farmworkers

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the children, families, and agencies who participated to help make the Miami School Readiness Project possible. We'd like to especially thank the Redlands Christian Migrant Association staff and teachers for all their commitment to serving these deserving families; especially Margarita Hinojosa, Beatriz Hentschel, Marbelia Zamarripa, Patricia Granda, Beatriz Coronado, and Bill Coats.

Funding

Data collection for this project was supported by the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe, The Children's Trust, and the Kellogg Foundation (for the S.P.A.R.K. project). We would also like to thank Chuck Bleiker and Ana Sejeck for their roles with the S.P.A.R.K project. The Children's Trust is a dedicated source of revenue established by voter referendum to improve the lives of children and families in Miami-Dade County.