ABSTRACT
Children of Latino heritage represent the fastest growing group among children in the United States. According to the US Bureau of the Census (2009) the proportion of the child population under age 18 in the US of Hispanic origin has more than doubled in the last three decades, from 9 percent in 1980 to 22 percent in 2009. This trend is anticipated to continue, with the proportion of children of Hispanic origin projected to comprise 27 percent of the entire US population of children in 2021 (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2009). Country of origin data from the 2004 American Community Survey indicated that those of Mexican origin comprise the largest proportion of Hispanics, accounting for almost two-thirds of Hispanic individuals in the United States (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2007).
