Childcare, language-use, and vocabulary of second-generation Latino immigrant children growing up in a new immigrant enclave in the United States

ABSTRACT

We utilize a within-group framework to understand the association between childcare type and the language-use and vocabulary of second-generation Latino immigrant children. The sample was drawn from a study of a suburban/rural immigrant community to study the role of home experiences on the early language and literacy of young Latino preschoolers (N = 77). We found that Latino families were more likely to use parental care (67%) than other types of childcare. We also found that children in parental care are more likely to spoken to in English by household member, and children in parental care had lower English and Spanish vocabulary scores on average than children attending other types of childcare setting. We highlight factors that situate the results within the experiences that families face as they navigate an early education context with limited community and institutional supports for children’s Spanish language development within formal and informal care settings.

KEYWORDS:

• Language-use
• vocabulary
• childcare
• parent care
• second-generation
• immigrant

Acknowledgements

An earlier version of these findings were presented at the Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Conference, Seattle, WA. The authors recognize the contribution of Paloma Visscher to the development of this study, as well as the contribution of the RAs who helped collect the data. We are especially grateful to the children and families who participated in the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 The name of this state-funded preschool program, which is administered by the local county, was changed to protect the privacy of study participants. The Rising Stars program is intended to provide quality preschool programming for four year-olds, focusing on risk factors that are associated with academic and social success. The program is part of a network of preschool providers, which include Head Start programs, Early Childhood Special Education programs, and Title 1 programs. When possible, Rising Stars also partners with local private preschools to provide more opportunities for enrollment.

2 Language-use and vocabulary are likely influenced by a range of factors, including but not limited to the number of years the family has been in the United States, whether the mother was born in Mexico, family income, maternal education, and self-reported maternal bilingualism. However, the complexity of those relations is outside the scope of our analysis.