The Future of America - Children of Immigrants

Listen up, America! Everyone knows children are our future and by looking at the information below, we have our work cut out for us to help them be prepared:

"Children of immigrant families are the fastest growing group of children in the United States and nearly all young children of immigrants living the the United States are U.S. citizens," according to a report by two researchers, who presened a paper on the topic at a roundtable meeting at the Urban Institute in the summer of 2010.

Other paper statements are very telling:
"More than one in four children under age six lives in households that speak a language other than English."
"Some children grow up in households only hearing and speaking a non-English language, while others learn English simultaneously with another language..."
"Immigrant families often are unaware of the availability of early education programs and services or of the eligibility rule for various programs."

The paper concludes:

"If children of immigrant families are given opportunities to participate, and if programs reflect their experiences, the linguistic and cultural diversity that these children offer will ultimately enrich the early childhood experiences of all children."

How about concluding that it benefits everyone when children get off to the right academic start?

Just ask a high school teacher or college professor how many students need English and math tutorials when they arrive, and you'll need time and patience to hear how bad the problem really is.

COI AMERICANS

That's what we are. Children of Immigrants -or COI Americans. We are all related in a way - not by blood, but by being a part of this great country's modern mosaic, that has always been called a Melting Pot. It's our parents who brought us here. But, we're the ones who have had to make our own way here, too.

I've interviewed over 20 COI Americans so far and it's been so fascinating to hear how some have had to learn English in school because it wasn't spoken at home; how others have seen good elementary school friends turn into evil strangers, who taunted them in middle school, how some have happily celebrated their families' cultures and religions, while others have rejected them.

The bottom line is that all have enjoyed and appreciate the freedoms the United States has to offer and many, as adults, have embraced some of the family traditions they rejected as children.

America's a great country. Its people are the ones who make it that way.