Miriam Calderon, Consultant
BUILD Initiative Special Projects
As advocates for young children, we must view immigration reform for what it is – an enormous opportunity to pass social policy that’s good for kids. Fully one-quarter of all young children in the United States have an immigrant parent. Many have at least one parent that is unauthorized. These children will become America’s future leaders in a world economy that demands that they fully develop their skills and talents.
Emerging research by Hirokazu Yoshikawa and Jenya Kholoptseva suggests that having an unauthorized parent has a negative effect on a young child’s development. In particular, family separations brought about by deportations harm young children’s social and emotional development due to disruption in attachment and stress. In the first six months of 2011 alone, 46,000 children had a parent deported from the United States, according to Joanna Dreby in a Center for American Progress report.
Time for Reform
Immigration reform cleared a major hurdle in June 2013, when the Senate passed its bill, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 (S. 744). The act includes numerous provisions to help families achieve stability, permanency, and relief from the fear of family separation. (Learn more about the act from the National Immigration Law Center’s S. 744 FAQ page.)
Quite literally, a new immigration law will allow immigrant families to come out of the shadows and seek opportunities to integrate and participate in civic life that many of us take for granted. This includes securing steady employment, getting a driver’s license, going back to school or participating in job training, and renting an apartment or buying a home.
Stability for Young Children
At Home
These changes will lead to stability for young children with immigrant parents, as they will benefit from increased economic security, less crowded and stable housing arrangements, and relief from the fear of losing a parent. Immigrant families will be unafraid to engage in their children’s schools, sign up for recreation programs, or enroll in early care and education programs. When parents feel they have to live in the shadows, it is difficult for them at the same time to promote their children’s full involvement in society.
In Child Care
In addition, many of the caregivers of immigrant children, who largely operate outside the mainstream child care system, will have the opportunity to adjust their status. They may choose to become part of the formal care system, if they have access to the appropriate supports and training that is tailored to their unique needs.
The Role for ECE Programs
Without question, these changes represent a new reality that will have an enormous impact on the healthy development of children of immigrants – and reduce disparities in their school readiness. The new immigration law will be complex, however. Leveraging this opportunity for children of immigrants, their families, and their caregivers requires the creation of a massive infrastructure in communities. Early care and education programs, particularly those with a dual generation focus, must be at the table and ready to serve immigrant communities.
These families will require services such as English language classes, financial literacy, job training, and help accessing public benefits for which they or their children may be eligible, such as child care subsidies or nutrition assistance. The complexity of the later cannot be overemphasized.
Immigrant families’ access to public benefits varies from state to state and by individual circumstances. Early childhood leaders must be informed about the intersections of immigration and early education policies in order to be effective at reaching immigrant families and providers.
What Are You Doing?
As advocates for young children, there is an imperative to prepare for and understand the implications of immigration reform on our field. This law will not only work to make our immigration system fair, it is one of the biggest wins for children on the horizon.
- What are you doing to help get immigration reform passed?
- And then, what will you do to help with implementation in your community?
Share your thoughts and ideas here.
An Additional Resource: The Migration Policy Institute