The Development and Home Environments of Low-Income Hispanic Children: Kindergarten to Third Grade

Author

Christina M. Padilla

Natasha Cabrera

Jerry West

A new brief from the National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families looks at the home and school environment of low-income Latino kids and finds that they have the social skills needed to succeed in their early elementary years, yet struggle to overcome other challenges (e.g., less engagement in cognitively stimulating activities at home, low income and levels of parental education) to develop academic skills on par with their white peers. In today’s climate of limited resources, this new research helps pinpoint where interventions might effectively promote academic success.

The National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families (Center) is supported by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the United States (U.S.) Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of two financial assistance awards (Award # 90PH0028, from 2018-2023, and Award # 90PH0032 from 2023-2028) totaling $13.5 million across the two awards with 99 percent funded by ACF/HHS and 1 percentage funded by non-government sources. The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACF/HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit the ACF website, Administrative and National Policy Requirement.