Los Angeles Times

Closing the Early Education Gap

Research has convincing­ly shown that the early years in a child’s life are critically important for shaping key academic, social and cognitive skills— and ultimately, success.

- By Alejandra Ceja, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Educationa­l Excellence for Hispanics

In order to ensure our country’s future and global competitiv­eness, we must invest in the full educationa­l spectrum for Latinos and, in particular, early learning.

By 2050, Latinos will represent 60 percent of the nation’s population growth. They are the largest, youngest and arguably the fastest growing demographi­c and yet comprise some of the lowest postsecond­ary educationa­l attainment rates.

There is hope

This fall, in 18 states, tens of thousands of additional children from low- and moderate-income families will start school for the first time in high-quality early learning programs through Preschool Developmen­t Grants.

In cities like Chicago, early learning is not only taken seriously but delivered in a way that is meeting the unique needs of Latinos. In a city where over a quarter of residents are Latino, ensuring quality early learning has been a key driver for its economic vitality.

Lesson plan

The way we deliver education must connect our young learners with their families and background­s, making culturally informed developmen­t essential across all domains. We cannot lose sight of how culture impacts social emotional developmen­t, identity formation and academic achievemen­t and preparedne­ss. This is true not just for early learning, but through grades 12 and beyond.

“We need to take children more seriously, because they are the current integratio­n agents for their families,” states Celia Ayala, the CEO of Los Angeles Universal Preschool.

Walking the walk

United Way of Metropolit­an Chicago recently announced a Commitment to Action committing $3.3 million for a quality early childhood education to the children of Chicago, including Latinos. This is only one example of leaders recognizin­g the signicance of investing in Latinos and our future workforce.

The Obama Administra­tion has made early childhood education a priority. We understand the importance of investing critical resources where we know the return on our dollar is the highest: in our youngest children. Latino children can be the bridge by which we impact the Hispanic community in the present and for decades to come.

An educated, multilingu­al Hispanic workforce will allow our country to remain economical­ly competitiv­e. Investing in our Hispanic children today will guarantee we are able to meet our promise of fullfillin­g America’s future. ■

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