Latino children’s language skills are lagging by age 2, study says

*This is not shocking, but it does shine a light on the fact that previous thinking on Latino literacy was incomplete. There’s been a recent move towards a more intense preschool effort, now we know that it isn’t enough, that the gaps in learning start before preschool. So what do we do with this info? VL

By Emma Brown, The Washongton Post

Nine-month-old Latino babies have the same language and cognitive abilities as their white peers, but by the time they reach age 2, they lag significantly behind, according to new research from the University of California at Berkeley.

The research suggests that prekindergarten may be too late to start trying to close persistent academic achievement gaps between Latino and white students, said Bruce Fuller, the study’s lead author and professor of education and public policy at UC Berkeley.

According to Fuller, preschool could narrow the language gap by one-third, suggesting that policymakers should consider how to ramp up efforts to reach babies and toddlers earlier, especially by helping parents understand how they can help their children learn.

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