ABSTRACT
A significant and growing percentage of the children enrolled in preschool in the United States are children of recent immigrants, but the field of early childhood education has conducted too little research on the experience of immigrant children and their families. Moreover, almost none of this research includes the voices of immigrant parents. (Exceptions include studies by Cornfield and Arzubiaga, 2004; Diaz-Soto, 1997; Goldenberg and Gallimore, 1995; and Uttal, 2002.) In an effort to address this imbalance, 2 years ago we organized a group of researchers in five countries to study approaches to working with children of recent immigrants in early childhood education and care settings. At the heart of this study, which is being conducted in England, France, Germany, Italy, and the United States, is a comparison of ideas about preschool held by practitioners and immigrant parents. A basic assumption of our research project is that preschool programs can better serve immigrants when parents, teachers, and other stakeholders engage in dialogue. Our project aims to serve as a catalyst for dialogue among parents, practitioners, scholars, and policymakers about the problems and possibilities of creating preschool programs that reflect the values and beliefs of both immigrant communities and of the societies to which they have immigrated.
