Investing in immigrant and refugee school readiness
By Ellen Bhang

United Way of King County has a long tradition of partnering with agencies that serve ethnically and culturally diverse communities. So, when we chose school readiness as one of our major priorities, our Seattle Community Council moved decisively to ensure that immigrant and refugee children were a key focus.

In spring 2005, the Seattle Community Council selected Refugee Women's Alliance (ReWA) to lead the Immigrant & Refugee School Readiness Initiative. The council granted ReWA a venture fund award designed to seed new and innovative projects. ReWA's outreach efforts included working with the Chinese Information and Service Center and Somali Women & Children Skills for Change to target Chinese, Vietnamese, Somali, Latino and Hispanic communities.

This recently completed project reached more than 200 parents, children and teachers. It provided valuable insights into how community participants perceive and define school readiness and highlight cultural best practices.

As work progressed, it quickly became clear that immigrant and refugee parents perceive and define school readiness differently. While parents wanted their children to do well academically, they did not see this as the primary dimension of getting their children ready for school. Instead they focused more on values that emphasize communal traditions and extended family bonds as key to raising happy, responsible people. The project provided various opportunities for families to learn about a range of school readiness concepts widely accepted in the U.S.

ReWA provided several recommendations when working with immigrant family populations, including:

• Advocate for more classrooms that help children thrive in their new environment without losing their cultural identity and language.
• Ensure assessment tests take into account different cultural norms and approaches to child development.
• Ensure that immigrant and refugee parents have a seat at the table in terms of decision-making regarding their children's school experience.
• Subsidize more preschool centers so low-income families can access them.
• Identify and fund projects that support the diverse and wide-ranging repertoire and practices of immigrant and refugee communities focused on school readiness.

For more detailed information or to request a copy of ReWA's final report, contact Ellen Bhang, community impact manager.

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