Partnering With a Latino Community around Early Language and Literacy Needs

What is it about?

Latino children experience academic vulnerabilities, including in reading. Caregiver-mediated interventions can support the bilingual language development of young Latino children to prevent these well-documented disparities in reading. However, in leveraging these programs, it is important to weigh Latino cultural values surrounding education, family connection, and learning. In response to this need, this study used a community-partnered approach to (a) understand caregivers' needs related to the language and literacy development of their young children and (b) understand perspectives for how best to implement a culturally adapted and culturally responsive caregiver-mediated program.

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Why is it important?

This study is important because it documents the needs and values of Spanish-speaking Latino caregivers to inform the development or adaptation of an early language and literacy program to be implemented within a community-based nonprofit. This research was grounded in community-based participatory methods to ensure an early literacy program with and for the community. Future work will pilot and adapt a birth-to-5 caregiver mediated early language program, continuing to seek and implement feedback from the community while measuring efficacy, fidelity, and sustainability outcomes.

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