The findings, in a report from the University of California, Berkeley, are troubling to educators, who say preschool is vital to closing the achievement gap. According to the report, Latino Access to Preschool Stalls after Early Gains, one-third of Latino 4-year-olds were enrolled in preschool in 1991, and, by 2005, this figure grew to 53 percent. But from 2005 to 2009, only 48 percent were enrolled.
Catherine Atkin, who heads Preschool California, calls the study troubling. She says her group conducted a poll of Latino voters in the state, and found that 83 percent believe it's very important for children to attend preschool before going to kindergarten.
Researchers say the enrollment decline might be attributed to the lack of preschools, the result of the government's inability to keep pace with the growing Latino population. Other possible reasons include parents who've lost their jobs and decided to keep children at home, or budget cuts that have reduced financial aid for publicly-funded preschools.
After years of steady growth, the number of Latino children attending preschool nationwide declined between 2005 and 2009, while enrollment rates for African American and white children stayed the same.
Researchers said the decline in enrollment can be attributed to the lack of government capacity to keep pace with Latino population growth. The study noted other possible reasons, such as Latino mothers who lost jobs during the recession may have decided to keep their children at home instead of enrolling them in preschool and state reductions in aid for publicly-funded preschools.
To increase Latino preschool enrollment, the researchers said funding mechanisms should be sensitive to where the Latino child population is growing, and money for new early education programs should flow based on this growth. They added that preschools should offer more bilingual early education teachers and more Latino students need to be recruited into early childhood preparation programs.
"Until Latino children gain equal access to preschools that display robust quality, it's difficult to see how early achievement gaps can be narrowed," the researchers said in their report.
Source: University of California, Berkeley, “Latino Access to Preschool Stalls after Early Gains,” August 29, 2011.
