Office of Head Start. Building Blocks for Hispanic Outreach and Service Webcast Series - A Viewer's Guide for the Head Start Community:
Video: Block One: The Hispanic Population in the US [English] | Componente Uno: La población hispana en los Estados Unidos [En Español]
Projections show that the Hispanic population in the United States is going to continue its upward rise. Hispanic children account for 70% of the growth in the population of children under 5 years of age. Data shows almost half of Hispanic, foreign-born families meet Head Start requirements based on low income. Within the Hispanic population, there is a great deal of cultural variation due to the diversity of the Latin American countries these families are coming from. Poverty is also a variable factor. Only by taking a careful inventory of the families in the community can a Head Start program successfully identify and serve the families' needs.
Video: Block Two: Understanding the Hispanic Community in Your Area [English] | Componente Dos: Conociendo la comunidad hispana en su área [En Español]
The second building block provides suggestions and tips for how to conduct a community assessment that is sensitive to the Hispanic population. A successful assessment consists of five parts: planning your strategy, designing how you will collect the data, gathering the data, reviewing and analyzing what you have collected, and using that data to make decisions about location, recruitment, staff, and programming. Growth of the Hispanic community in different areas must be considered throughout the community assessment.
Video: Block Three: Meeting the Needs of Hispanic Families [English] | Componente Tres: Atendiendo la necesidades de los niños hispanos [En Español]
One of the best ways to serve young, Hispanic children in Head Start is by also serving the families. Hispanic families in the United States are dealing with the stresses of culture shock and the loss of their social support network in their home country. Head Start programs, especially a good mental health program, can take account of these stresses and become a place of support, trust, and information for immigrant families.
Be sure to visit the Family and Community Partnerships section for more information.
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