Fulfilling the Promise of Preschool in Silicon Valley: Examining Participation Patterns and Barriers to Access among Low-Income Children and Low-Income Children of Immigrants

In Silicon Valley, California, fewer low-income children are enrolled in preschool than higher-income children. Among 3-year olds, for example, 26 percent of low-income children are enrolled, compared to 52 percent of higher-income children in this age cohort. As nearly three-quarters of low-income children have an immigrant parent, and three out of five have parents with limited English proficiency, the problem of low enrollment in Silicon Valley has important immigrant dimensions. Fulfilling the Promise of Preschool in Silicon Valley: Examining Participation Patterns and Barriers to Access among Low-Income Children and Low-Income Children of Immigrants synthesizes two studies by The Urban Institute on the barriers to preschool participation among low-income and immigrant children in Silicon Valley. The first study uses American Community Survey data to reveal preschool enrollment patterns and the socio-economic characteristics of low-income immigrant families. The second study reviews existing research and uses interviews with experts to explore the hurdles to preschool participation faced by these families and to offer solutions. It finds that low-income children face learning challenges such as poverty, social isolation and insufficient home resources, and low-income children from immigrant families face additional challenges such as distrust of government institutions and cultural and linguistic barriers. To overcome these barriers, the authors recommend broadening preschool access for low-income immigrant children by expanding low-cost or free preschool services, improving outreach through multilingual information workshops for parents, tailoring enrollment requirements to linguistic needs, and enhancing the training of educators to reflect the diversity of immigrant families. (Sophia Mitrokostas for The ILC Public Education Institute)

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