Neighbors Link's Parent-Child Together Program: Supporting Immigrant Parents' Integration to Promote School Readiness Among Their Emergent Bilingual Children

Authors

Carola Otero Bracco, Neighbors Link
Judith Eisenberg, CUNY Bronx Community CollegeFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Spring 2017

Abstract

The authors of this article describe Neighbors Link, a multi-service community and worker center in suburban Westchester County, NY. This organization created Parent-Child Together in the belief that supporting immigrant parents' integration and social inclusion, in activities that also engage long-term community residents, would improve school readiness outcomes for preschool children. A key assumption in the program design is that immigrant parents are best supported when teaching respects their home language and incorporates their home culture and customs. Among the program's positive results has been greater acceptance of the assets and strengths that immigrants bring to the community. The community, concurrently, has incorporated this perspective into programming, notably the school district's new elementary-level dual language program that supports both children of immigrants and long-term residents in becoming bilingual.

Comments

This article was originally published in the Journal of Multilingual Education Research.