Trista Kendall
Office 202.862.9873
tkendall@preknow.org

(Washington, DC) – Deputy State Program Director of Pre-K Now, Danielle Gonzales, today issued the following statement on a report from the National Task Force on Early Childhood Education for Hispanics which offers recommendations to increase Hispanic enrollment in pre-kindergarten:

“When we talk about the achievement gap between Latino children and white children, we not only must address bridging that gap but also preventing it in the first place. This new report concludes that access to high-quality pre-k is one of the most effective ways to make sure all children start their first day of kindergarten equipped with the skills they need to succeed.

“Previous studies from the National Task Force on Early Childhood Education for Hispanics show that at least one in three Hispanic students starts kindergarten without the oral English skills needed to succeed in school. Latino children are also more likely than whites to start school without fundamental reading and math skills. Studies show that these disparities persist throughout a child’s educational career, leading to a high school dropout rate that is three times the rate of other groups. We know that quality pre-k can benefit all children in all of these areas, but right now, too many Latino children are being denied that benefit, whether because of cost, language or cultural barriers.

“Only 40 percent of Hispanic children attend pre-k, compared with 60 percent of their white and African American peers. Lawmakers must address this glaring inequality. For too many years we have complacently allowed Latino children to fall through the cracks and start school behind. We cannot afford to wait any longer. According to the most recent Census reports, one in five children under the age of five in the U.S. is Hispanic. The future of our country depends on our ability and our commitment to educating this growing segment of our population.

“Eliminating obstacles to enrollment in pre-k, such as affordability and limited availability will help to ensure that Hispanic children have access to this important first step in their educational careers. Federal and state lawmakers must dramatically expand federal Head Start and state pre-k programs to include more children, with concerted outreach to enroll Hispanic children.

“It’s time for lawmakers to take responsibility for providing pre-k to every Hispanic child. When Hispanic children are ready for school and our schools are ready for Hispanic children, our entire society will reap the benefits.”

Pre-K Now collaborates with state advocates and policymakers to lead a movement for high-quality pre-kindergarten for all three and four year olds. The following funders contribute to making this important work possible: The Pew Charitable Trusts, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, RGK Foundation, the Foundation for Child Development, CityBridge Foundation, and the Schumann Fund for New Jersey.

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