Who are America's children and how can we help them all succeed?  The United States is more diverse than ever before with the children of immigrants the fastest growing segment of the child population. 

Demographic Information

One in five of America's children under the age of six are now growing up in families with at least one foreign-born parent.  Although almost all of these children are U.S. citizens, 75 percent have one or more non-citizen parents, and 25 percent have at least one undocumented parent.  Over half of the young children of immigrants live in low-income families.  New demographic information  offers a snapshot of America's children, including their strengths and needs.

Child Development in Immigrant Families

The children of immigrants experience some of the greatest hardships in America, including poverty, inadequate access to health care, crowded housing, and language barriers.  Recent research on child and youth well-being  identifies promising practices that can guide decisions on how best to use current resources.

Education of Children in Immigrant Families

What happens to children from ages 3 to 8 is critical to their educational outcomes and life prospects.  Many low-income children start Kindergarten with significantly lower math and reading skills than their more advantaged peers.  This applies to the majority of the children of immigrants since over half live in low-income families.  Without quality Prekindergarten and elementary programs which build on each subsequent year of learning, these children often never catch up.  For newcomer children, providing an education that meets their specific needs and that builds on their strengths is especially crucial.

Recent research describes the schools the children of immigrants attend.  Nearly 70 percent of Limited English Proficient (LEP) students nationally are enrolled in only 10 percent of the elementary schools.  In these schools, LEP students account for almost one half of the student body.  For those schools where almost a quarter of students are LEP, they are more likely to have teachers with provisional, emergency, or temporary certification, and their teachers are substantially more likely to be uncertified.  At the same time, these schools provide more professional development for teachers as well as support and enrichment programs for students than schools with fewer LEP students.

FCD supports research, policy development, and advocacy through its New American Children Initiative.