Creating positive contexts of reception: The value of immigrant teachers in U.S. early childhood education programs

Authors

  • Jennifer Keys Adair The University of Texas at Austin

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.24.2110

Keywords:

early childhood education, immigration, teachers, video-cued ethnography

Abstract

Young children of immigrants are increasingly part of early childhood programs in the United States but teachers have mixed approaches and attitudes about the immigrant families that they work with. This article details an analysis of 50 preschool teachers in five US cities using data from the Children Crossing Borders video-cued ethnographic study. The analysis finds that preschool sites that valued the insight of immigrant teachers had more positive views of immigrant communities and stronger mechanisms to communicate with immigrant parents. The article ultimately argues that policies that support the presence and meaningful input of immigrant preschool teachers can help preschool sites be positive, rather than negative or indifferent, contexts of reception.

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Author Biography

Jennifer Keys Adair, The University of Texas at Austin

Jennifer Keys Adair completed a Ph.D. in Anthropology and Education at Arizona State University with an emphasis on Early Childhood Education. A former preschool teacher, Jennifer is an Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education and Cultural Studies at The University of Texas at Austin. Her research and teaching interests focus on the role of race, culture(s) and cross-cultural experiences in early childhood education, with a particular focus on the experiences of teachers, parents and children from immigrant communities. 

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Published

2016-01-04

How to Cite

Adair, J. K. (2016). Creating positive contexts of reception: The value of immigrant teachers in U.S. early childhood education programs. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 24, 1. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.24.2110

Issue

Section

Articles