“Why are so few Latino families enrolled in early care opportunities in Jefferson Parish, and what can we do to change that?”
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That’s the question that was posed to us, when Dr. Sarintha Stricklin, Executive Director of Jefferson Ready Start Network engaged Advancing Communities for Equity. With a bustling Latino population, and a PreK-12 system of over 15% Latino students, we recognized this complex problem was laden with systemic issues related to inclusion, representation, communication, and policy. Through a landscape analysis, family focus groups, and community engagement, we developed a report of our findings. Subsequently, we have hosted a series of stakeholder engagement meetings, cultivated community partnerships, and developed a two-generation program that provides employment and training to parents while their children enjoy high quality child care. In 6 months since the release of the report, the number of Latino children served in formal early learning centers has increased by 5%. We continue to support all early learning centers in Jefferson Parish in becoming culturally and linguistically responsive, to better serve Latino families.
Learn about related funding for the two-generation program here.