The Challenges of Change

CLASP's report, The Challenges of Change: Learning from the Child Care and Early Education Experiences of Immigrant Families, presents findings from two years spent gathering information about how immigrant families with young children access high-quality child care and early education settings. One of every five children in the United States is the child of an immigrant. Although these children stand to benefit from high-quality child care and early education programs, available data show that they are less likely to participate in all types of non-parental care than children of U.S.-born citizens. To explore the reasons for the lower participation of children of immigrants, CLASP conducted site visits across the country to learn first hand about the challenges that immigrant families face. CLASP sought out immigrant leaders and direct service providers, immigrant parents, child care and early education providers, and policymakers. This report identifies multiple barriers that impede immigrant families from accessing high-quality child care and early education. It also highlights promising strategies being used in local communities to break down those barriers and to improve child care and early education programs so that they are more responsive to the needs of diverse immigrant families. It concludes with a set of recommendations for federal, state, and local policymakers, advocates, private foundations, and researchers.

Readers can download the full report (196 pages), executive summary (9 pages), or individual chapters from the table of contents.