Abriendo Puertas (Open Doors) is a program designed for parents of Latino children that teaches them how to prepare their children for preschool. Designed by former educator Sandra Gutierrez, the program educates parents on the public resources available to them. As part of the program, instructors share learning games that parents can use to teach their children basic skills as well as stress the importance of reading to their children. The lessons are all taught in Spanish. “It’s beneficial to promote language, whatever it may be,” said Gutierrez. The program was started due to noticeable gaps in the school readiness for reading. Data from the National Survey of Child Health found that Latino families were 16% less likely to read to their children age 5 and under. A ...
Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) is the second-largest community college in the nation. Currently, 52% of its students are from minority racial or ethnic groups including Latinos. A large part of this is due to the school’s longstanding “Pathways to the Baccalaureate” program. The program is a consortium of 10 area educational institutions including NOVA, area public schools, and George Mason University and provides outreach to high school students that are more likely to face obstacles entering college. “The program is designed to breach the barriers of higher education,” said Everett Eberhardt, director of equity, diversity, and ADA/504 compliance at NOVA. “The purpose is to increase access to education for at-risk students.” Founded in 2005, the ...
Reports show that Latino children in Texas are overweight (46.8%) compared to white (22.9%) and black children (26.3%). Texas is also considered the 5th most obese in state in the U.S. for children. Having access to fresh, healthy foods is a vital component to combat obesity for Latino children in Texas. Studies show that Latino families without access to healthier options, may have higher diet-related diseases and deaths. A recent campaign by the American Heart Association supports this idea, with their hashtag, #MoreAtMyStore encouraging stores throughout Austin Texas to provide increased healthy options for consumers. The campaign encourages social media users to use the hashtag #MoreAtMyStore to voice their concerns or text Austin to 52886, allowing consumers to be a part of ...
For the first time ever, U.S. public schools are projected this fall to have more minority students than white students enrolled, a shift largely fueled by growth in the number of Hispanic children, the Associated Press reports. White students are still most populous, but their numbers dipped just below 50% for the first time. Here is the racial/ethnic breakdown of students, according to National Center for Education Statistics: 49.8% White
25% Hispanic
15% Black
5% Asian
5% Other "The shift creates new academic realities, such as the need for more English language instruction, and cultural ones, meaning changes in school lunch menus in the Southwest and elsewhere to include tortillas and other offerings to reflect students’ tastes," according to the Associated ...
Kids in predominantly minority or low-income neighborhoods are less likely to have clean, safe, and attractive places to be physically active. They are also at higher risk for obesity and related health problems. A new infographic from our friends at Active Living Research features evidence on some of the barriers these kids face in being able to walk, bike, or play in their schools and neighborhoods. Barriers include a lack of recreational facilities, broken or uneven sidewalks, inadequate time for recess, and higher rates of automobile crashes and crime. Fortunately, all of these problems can be addressed with better policies, infrastructure improvements, and planning that can make neighborhoods safer, cleaner, and better designed for walking, biking, and playing. Find ...
Latino and other minority students have worse educational opportunities than white students, according to new federal data, USA Today reports. Differences include fewer advanced math and science course offerings, harsher discipline, and less-qualified teachers for minority students of various racial/ethnic groups, according to the U.S. Department of Education's Civil Rights Data Collection survey, which focuses on all 97,000 U.S. public schools. Among the findings reported by USA Today: Among high schools serving the highest percentage of African-American and Latino students, one in three don’t offer a single chemistry course, and one in four don’t offer a math course more advanced than Algebra I.
In schools that offer “gifted and talented” programs, African-American ...
Children aspire to be like celebrities. Therefore, when celebrities like Beyoncé sign a $50 Million endorsement deal with Pepsi Co., concerns are raised as to what effects these advertisements may have on children. Should restrictions be placed on companies marketing junk food to children? Dr. Marion Nestle, a nutrition professor at NYU, says that companies who produce junk food products, "deliberately market their products to low-income, minority ...
Editor’s Note: This post is part of an ongoing series that will highlight the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s work in Latino communities across the country. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today announced that it is investing $9.5 million in new funding for its Forward Promise initiative, aimed at improving the health and success of young men of color. The centerpiece of the announcement is a new call for proposals that seeks innovative, community-based projects working to strengthen health, education, and employment outcomes for middle school- and high school-aged boys and young men of color. “To build a strong and prosperous future for our nation, it is critical that we expand opportunities for boys and young men of color to grow up healthy, get a good ...
Dr. Isabel Scarinci, a cancer prevention expert at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, spoke about ways to improve cervical cancer prevention on March 17, 2011, at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center (CTRC) in San Antonio as part of the SALSI/CTRC Health Disparities Lecture Series. Scarinci's talk highlighted her innovative work in cervical cancer prevention among low-income, Latina and African American, and immigrant women. Watch video of her talk here. The SALSI/CTRC Health Disparities Lecture Series, sponsored by the San Antonio Life Sciences Institute (SALSI) and the CTRC, brings some of the top U.S. health disparities experts to San Antonio to offer the latest trends, tools and advancements in the fight against cancer health disparities. The series is a joint project of the ...
