Children and youth living in immigrant families are the fastest growing group of American children. The Urban Institute's Children of Immigrants Data Tool shows that almost one in four children under the age of six years old in the United States are children of immigrants. Their parents may not always be aware of services available to children under the age of five.  This section highlights several important points related to immigrant children and early childhood policies:

• Immigrant children (born abroad or with one or both parents born abroad) are less likely to be enrolled in center-based care compared with non-immigrant children. In fact, immigrant children are less likely to be enrolled in any type of non-parental care, compared with their non-immigrant counterparts.[1]
• The benefits of center-based care may be larger for immigrant children than for their native-born counterparts. Center-based care has been found to improve English-language proficiency for immigrant children who speak another language in the home, as well as show benefits for academic achievement more generally.[1]
• Between 2000 and 2010, the Latino child growth rate was the highest in the country; without this population increase, the nation’s total child population would have declined.[2]

References

1. Karoly, L. A., & Gonzalez, G. C. (2011). Early Care and Education for Children in Immigrant Families. Future of Children, 21, 71-101.
2. Birth to Five Policy Alliance ECAC Webinar Series (2011). Accessed February 8, 2012 at: /LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=SIGyTtbEeyU%3D&tabid=63