The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between family structure including family size, number of parents at home, and presence of an older sibling at home, and the language development of young Latino children. I used data from the Head Start--Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) year 2000, which included information on 746 Latino preschool children and their families in different Head Start programs nationwide. A subgroup of 369 children were identified as English-language learners (ELL) because they were determined to be primarily Spanish speaking. Some of the findings indicate that more than two thirds of children (69%) who do not have two parents at home are primarily English speakers and more than two thirds of children (68%) who have two parents at home are primarily Spanish speakers. Independent sample t tests indicate there are statistically significant differences between Latino primarily Spanish speakers and Latino primarily English speakers on vocabulary and early literacy outcomes. Family background variables such as English language proficiency of parents and parent education are important factors that affect early language and literacy development of their children. In addition, family structure variables have some effects on these outcomes. The variables family poverty and family size, specifically having an older sibling, had negative impacts only on the primarily English-speaking group. The most influential social factors for the Latino primarily English-speaking preschool children's language and literacy outcomes are different than the most influential social factors for the same outcomes of their primarily Spanish-speaking preschooler counterparts who in general experience less favorable outcomes overall.

The purpose of this study was to compare PPVT-R age equivalents with language ages from the Test of Early Language Development - TELD 2 (Hresko, Reid, and Hammill, 1981) for a preschool population. This study sought to find the strength of association between the PPVT-R age equivalents and the TELD language ages. The subjects used in the study were 54 preschool children ranging in age from 3-6 through 4-7 years. Normal children were selected for the study based on their chronological age, sex, and socioeconomic status - SES.

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According to the Swedish preschool policy documents all children should have the same opportunities to develop their early language skills regardless of their social background. The purpose of this study is to investigate how preschool teachers work with children's early literacy and language development with focus on reading aloud. The reason is to investigate how the preschool teachers work to create an environment that stimulates children's literacy and language development. Another intention is to study how often reading aloud occurs in the children's home environment and what the preschool teachers thoughts are about that. The study is based on interviews with four preschool teachers and surveys that were answered by parents. This study's theoretical perspective is based on development and learning occuring through social contexts.The conclusions of the study is that the preschool teachers find it very important for the children to get their early literacy and language development stimulated and that they work to create an environment that fulfills this. The preschool teachers were not sure about if reading aloud in the children's home environment occurred. Whether or not, if reading aloud occurs at home the teachers believe that children will get their early language development and literacy at the preschool anyway. The surveys showed that all the parents read to their children at least once a week and it seemed that they thought it was meaningful. Key words: Social background, early language development, literacy, reading aloud, home environment. Nyckelord: Social bakgrund, tidig språkutveckling, litteracitet, högläsning, hemmiljö

Objectif: Explorer les perspectives des fournisseurs de soins sur les besoins des familles migrantes en matière de développement du langage et les stratégies qui sont utilisées ou qui pourraient être utilisées pour promouvoir le développement du langage d'une manière culturellement sécuritaire. Méthodes : L'étude s'est déroulée à La Maison Bleue (LMB), un centre offrant des services sociaux et de périnatalité aux familles vulnérables à Montréal pendant la grossesse et jusqu'à l'âge de cinq ans de l'enfant. Les données ont été recueillies par le biais d'entretiens semi-structurés avec 8 membres du personnel et analysées thématiquement. Résultats: Les problèmes de langage sont une préoccupation à LMB, et les facteurs liés à la migration (l’isolement, la santé mentale, le manque d’accès aux ressources) sont considérés comme pouvant contribuer à ces problèmes. La compréhension qu’ont les parents du développement du langage de l’enfant ajoute parfois à ce contexte difficile. Des interventions ciblées ainsi que des stratégies plus globales axées sur le renforcement de la confiance et de la réceptivité des familles aux soins en général, sont utilisées pour favoriser le développement du langage. Les participants ont recommandé d'accorder plus de temps individuel aux familles pour améliorer leur compréhension du développement de l'enfant et pour favoriser leur implication dans des activités visant à stimuler le développement langagier. Ils ont également suggéré d’avoir accès à des spécialistes sur place et plus de ressources communautaires pour mieux soutenir le développement précoce du langage dans les familles migrantes. Conclusion: À LMB, une approche interdisciplinaire et holistique, qui tient compte du contexte de migration/vulnérabilité, est utilisée pour promouvoir le développement du langage d'une manière culturellement sécuritaire. Une mise en oeuvre plus large de cette approche dans différents contextes de soins primaires pourrait être bénéfique pour aider davantage des familles migrantes ayant besoin d'un soutien au développement précoce du langage. / Objective: To explore care-providers’ perspectives on the needs of migrant families regarding early language development and the strategies that are used, or that could be used, to promote language development in a culturally safe manner among this population. Methods: This was a qualitative descriptive study conducted at La Maison Bleue (LMB). Data were collected via semi-structured interviews from eight LMB care providers and support/administrative staff and thematically analyzed. Results: Language development problems among children in migrant families are of concern at LMB, and factors related to the migration context (isolation, mental health, lack of access to resources) are believed to contribute to these problems. Parents’ understanding about children’s language development sometimes add to this challenging context. Targeted interventions as well as more global strategies that focus on building trust and increasing the family’s overall receptivity to care, are used to promote language development. Participants recommended more individual time with families to enhance understanding of child development, and to further promote parents’ engagement in language stimulating activities. On site access to specialists and more resources in the community were also suggested to further support early language development among migrant families. Conclusion: At LMB, an interdisciplinary, holistic approach, that considers the migration/vulnerability context, is used to promote early-language development in migrant families in a culturally safe manner. Broader application of this approach across different primary care settings may be beneficial for helping more migrant families in need of early-language development support.