New Report from WIC: More Latino Children in PreschoolJuly 6, 2009 |
Printer-friendly version |
 Latino children in L.A. County have historically been underserved by local preschools, a fact that has garnered harsh criticism from organizations like United Way. A recent report, however, indicates that preschool participation in this group is on the rise. Comparing preschool enrollment in 2005 to 2008 among Latino children enrolled in WIC (the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children), the report shows a five percent increase in preschool enrollment. "These numbers indicate that the community is responding to the needs of Latino children," said Shannon Whaley, director of Research and Evaluation at PHFE-WIC, the largest provider of WIC services in L.A. County, and the lead agency which conducted the surveys. "Over half of all low-income families in L.A. County with children under age 5 are enrolled in WIC, so the results of this survey illustrate important trends among a large portion of families." The report, Latino Children Showing Higher Rates of Preschool Enrollment, also shows a change in parents' beliefs about the difficulties involved in enrolling their children in preschool. When surveyed in 2008 fewer Latino parents reported difficulty enrolling their children in preschool than in 2005. Also, fewer reported that it was difficult to find preschools with space available or that cost made it difficult to enroll their children in preschool. Another recent study in Chicago, Why Isn't Johnny in Preschool?, underscores the importance of making the enrollment process easier for parents. In this study parents described the process as a frustrating and difficult maze, even though Illinois is a nationwide leader in creating high quality programs and guaranteeing access for all 3 and 4-year-olds. As a result only a fraction of the eligible children are enrolled. First 5 LA established the partnership with PHFE-WIC in 2002, forming the WIC/First 5 LA Data Mining research partnership to survey the entire L.A. County WIC population. All seven local agency WIC programs in L.A. County, serving over 600,000 participants monthly, participate in the partnership. The 2005 and 2008 surveys included questions about a variety of health and well-being topics, including preschool attendance. Click here to download a copy of Latino Children Showing Higher Rates of Preschool Enrollment, or to learn more about the study, email Teryn Mattox at tmattox@first5la.org. To learn more about the WIC Data Mining survey, email datamining@phfewic.org. |
|
