Latino Preschoolers Research Articles

Effects of Adapted Dialogic Reading on Oral Language and Vocabulary Knowledge of Latino Preschoolers at Risk for English Language Delays

In this single-case design study, we examined the effects of an adapted dialogic reading intervention on the oral language and vocabulary skills of four Latino preschool children who were at risk for English language delays. We used adapted dialogic reading strategies in English and two literacy games that included a rapid naming activity and playing with props to retell the stories in the books. Results indicated improvement in both oral language and vocabulary skill knowledge from baseline to intervention for all children. Children also showed improvement from baseline to intervention in their story retells during generalization probes. Limitations and implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Effects of Adapted Dialogic Reading on Oral Language and Vocabulary Knowledge of Latino Preschoolers at Risk for English Language Delays.

In this single-case design study, we examined the effects of an adapted dialogic reading intervention on the oral language and vocabulary skills of four Latino preschool children who were at risk for English language delays. We used adapted dialogic reading strategies in English and two literacy games that included a rapid naming activity and playing with props to retell the stories in the books. Results indicated improvement in both oral language and vocabulary skill knowledge from baseline to intervention for all children. Children also showed improvement from baseline to intervention in their story retells during generalization probes. Limitations and implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Reading at Bedtime Associated With Longer Nighttime Sleep in Latino Preschoolers.

Objective To characterize bedtime routines (BR) and associations between reading at bedtime and sleep behaviors in a sample of Latino preschoolers. A convenience sample of Latino parents of a 4-year-old child completed standardized questionnaires assessing BRs, bedtime reading frequency and other sleep variables. Family demographics and home environment were also assessed. Results Parents of 62 children completed questionnaires. A consistent BR was reported by 48%. Frequent reading at bedtime was reported in 42%. After controlling for key confounders, reading at bedtime was significantly associated with longer total nighttime sleep (P < .01), but not with other sleep behaviors. Conclusion Reading at bedtime was significantly associated with longer total nighttime sleep duration. This, together with the relatively low frequency of reading found in this sample, suggests that interventions aimed at increasing reading at bedtime among Latino preschoolers may improve overall sleep health.

Print-related practices in low-income Latino homes and preschoolers’ school-readiness outcomes

This study examined literacy practices in the homes of 127 low-income Latino preschoolers enrolled in bilingual preschool classrooms. Specifically, we investigated the print-related practices that Latino primary caregivers engaged in with their preschool-aged children at the start of the school year and explored the relation between these practices and children’s language, literacy, and social–emotional school-readiness outcomes at the end of the preschool year. The results demonstrate the importance of print – including books and non-book-related environmental print – for Latino preschool children’s development of early literacy and self-regulation skills. In addition, the results highlight that when sharing picture books with their children, low-income Latino caregivers provided the majority of the information to their children, and ask few questions of them, thereby adopting a sole-narrator participatory role. Interestingly, the manner in which caregivers shared the books with their children was not related to child outcomes. The results are discussed in relation to the importance of enhancing Latino caregivers’ culturally preferred print-related practices as a means of fostering their preschoolers’ language, literacy, and social–emotional development.

Cultural socialization and school readiness of African American and Latino preschoolers.

Cultural socialization practices are common among ethnic minority parents and important for ethnic minority child development. However, little research has examined these practices among parents of very young children. In this study, we report on cultural socialization practices among a sample of parents of low income, African American (n = 179) and Latino (n = 220) preschool-age children in relation to children's school readiness. Cultural socialization was assessed when children were 2.5 years old, and child outcomes assessed 1 year later included pre-academic skills, receptive language, and child behavior. Children who experienced more frequent cultural socialization displayed greater pre-academic skills, better receptive language, and fewer behavior problems. This association did not differ by child gender or ethnicity. The implications of these findings for the development of parent interventions to support school readiness are discussed.

Correlates of Physical Activity in Latino Preschool Children Attending Head Start.

Physical activity is associated with long-term benefits for health and tracks from early childhood into later adolescence. Limited information exists about factors influencing physical activity among Latino preschoolers. We aimed to identify correlates of objectively measured light-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity as a proportion of wear time (% PA) in Latino 3-5 year olds. Latino preschoolers (n = 96) were recruited from Head Start centers in Houston, TX, USA, from 2009 to 2010. Sociodemographics, anthropometrics, acculturation, neighborhood disorder, and TV viewing were measured. Actigraph GT1M accelerometers measured physical activity. Block linear regression was used with % PA as the dependent variable. Children achieved 285.7 ± 58.0 min/day of PA. In the final adjusted-model, child age, parental education and neighborhood disorder were positively associated with % PA (beta = 0.33, p = .002; beta = 0.25, p = .038; beta = 0.22, p = .039, respectively). TV viewing was inversely associated with % PA (beta=-0.23, p = .027). The majority of Latino preschoolers in our study exceeded US national and international guidelines of physical activity duration. Future interventions to sustain physical activity should focus on the influence of age, socioeconomic status, neighborhood disorder, and TV viewing on Latino preschoolers' attainment of physical activity.

Telomere length is associated with oppositional defiant behavior and maternal clinical depression in Latino preschool children.

Exposure to psychological stress and depression are associated with shorter white blood cell telomere length (TL) in adults, possibly via associated lifelong oxidative stressors. Exposure to maternal depression increases risk for future depression and behavior problems in children, and Latino youth are at high risk. Few studies have evaluated the role of exposure to maternal depression or child behavior in relation to TL in children. We assessed early-childhood exposures to maternal depression from birth to the age of 5 years and child behavior from ages 3–5 years in a cohort of Latino children in relation to child leukocyte TL at ages 4 and 5 years. Children who had oppositional defiant behavior at 3, 4 or 5 years had shorter TL than those without by ~450 base pairs (P<0.01). In multivariate analyses, independent predictors for shorter TL at 4 and 5 years of age included oppositional defiant disorder at 3, 4 or 5 years (β=−359.25, 95% CI −633.84 to 84.66; P=0.01), exposure to maternal clinical depression at 3 years of age (β=−363.99, 95% CI −651.24 to 764.74; P=0.01), shorter maternal TL (β=502.92, 95% CI 189.21–816.63) and younger paternal age at the child's birth (β=24.63, 95% CI 1.14–48.12). Thus, exposure to maternal clinical depression (versus depressive symptoms) in early childhood was associated with deleterious consequences on child cellular health as indicated by shorter TL at 4 and 5 years of age. Similarly, children with oppositional defiant behavior also had shorter TL, possibly related to early exposures to maternal clinical depression. Our study is the first to link maternal clinical depression and oppositional defiant behavior with shorter TL in the preschool years in a relatively homogenous population of low-income Latino children.

Affective Social Competence and Teacher–child Relationship Quality: Race/Ethnicity and Family Income Level as Moderators

AbstractThis study examined whether race/ethnicity and family income level moderated associations between children's affective social competence and teacher–child relationships among 132 Black, White, and Latino preschoolers. Boys and girls were equally represented in the sample. Of the three racial/ethnic groups, Latino children scored lowest on emotion regulation, were less close to their teachers, and experienced more teacher–child conflict and dependence. In contrast, Black children had closer, less conflict‐laden, and less dependent teacher–child relationships than children of other racial/ethnic backgrounds. Emotion regulation served as a protective factor against problematic teacher–child relationships, particularly for Latino and Black children compared with high‐income White children. Emotion regulation was positively associated with teacher–child closeness for Black children. However, it was negatively associated with teacher–child conflict for Latino children, regardless of income. For all outcomes, teacher characteristics accounted highly for the differences in teacher–child relational quality. Findings are discussed in terms of the functional role of emotions for teacher–child relationships and suggest important contextual influences on the associations.

Wordless book-sharing styles in bilingual preschool classrooms and Latino children’s emergent literacy skills

The current study explored the preschool classroom environment as an important context for supporting dual-language learning Latino children’s development of emergent literacy skills. The results of the study showed that teachers in Spanish–English bilingual preschool classrooms varied in the way they shared wordless picture books with the children, with analyses yielding three distinct narrative styles: didactic constructors, didactic providers and conversational sharers. These styles were differentiated in the manner in which teachers engaged the preschoolers in book-sharing interactions. Children whose teachers adopted a didactic constructor style (i.e. teachers elicited most of the narrative information from the children) seemed to have the best outcomes at the end of the preschool year, in terms of their print-related, language and storytelling skills. In addition, teachers’ use of cognitively challenging talk was related to Latino preschoolers’ language and storytelling skills, especially for the youngest children. Results are discussed in relation to the importance of preschool in supporting low-income Latino children’s emergent literacy development.

Environmental and cultural correlates of physical activity parenting practices among Latino parents with preschool-aged children: Niños Activos.

BackgroundLatino children are at high risk of becoming obese. Physical activity (PA) can help prevent obesity. Parents can influence children’s PA through parenting practices. This study aimed to examine the independent contributions of (1) sociodemographic, (2) cultural, (3) parent perceived environmental, and (4) objectively measured environmental factors, to PA parenting practices.MethodsA cross-sectional sample of Latino parents (n = 240) from Harris County, TX in 2011–2012 completed validated questionnaires to assess PA parenting practices, acculturation, familism, perception of their neighborhood environment, and demographics. Home addresses were mapped and linked to Census block-level crime and traffic data. Distance to the closest park was mapped by GIS. Regression models were built in a hierarchical step-wise fashion.ResultsCombined models showed R2 of 6.8% to 38.9% for different parenting practices. Significant correlations included sociodemographic variables with having outdoor toys available, psychological control, and promotion of inactivity. Cultural factors correlated with PA safety concern practices. Perceived environmental attributes correlated with five of seven parenting practices, while objectively-measured environmental attributes did not significantly correlate with PA parenting practices.ConclusionInterventions promoting PA among Latino preschoolers may need to address the social-ecological context in which families live to effectively promote PA parenting, especially parents’ perceptions of neighborhoods.

Home-school literacy experiences of Latino preschoolers: Does continuity predict positive child outcomes?

The current study explored the literacy practices used by primary caregivers and Head Start teachers of low-income Latino children, examined the extent to which these practices are continuous, and investigated the role of continuity in home-school literacy practices on Latino preschoolers’ emergent literacy development. Results showed that continuity in home-school global literacy practices, as well as in the use of high-challenging talk during book sharing interactions, was predictive of children's emergent literacy skills at the end of the Head Start year. By contrast, discontinuity in home-school book sharing styles led to higher emergent literacy outcomes. Results are discussed in relation to the importance of the home and preschool environments in supporting low-income Latino children’s early literacy development.

Utility of bronchodilator response for asthma diagnosis in Latino preschoolers

BackgroundAsthma diagnosis in preschoolers is mostly based on clinical evidence, but a bronchodilator response could be used to help confirm the diagnosis. The objective of this study is to evaluate the utility of bronchodilator response for asthma diagnosis in preschoolers by using spirometry standardised for this specific age group. MethodsA standardised spirometry was performed before and after 200mcg of salbutamol in 64 asthmatics and 32 healthy control preschoolers in a case-control design study. ResultsThe mean age of the population was 4.1 years (3–5.9 years) and 60% were females. Almost 95% of asthmatics and controls could perform an acceptable spirometry, but more asthmatics than controls reached forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) (57% vs. 23%, p=0.033), independent of age. Basal flows and FEV1 were significantly lower in asthmatics than in controls, but no difference was found between groups in forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV in 0.5s (FEV0.5). Using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, the variable with higher power to discriminate asthmatics from healthy controls was a bronchodilator response (% of change from basal above the coefficient of repeatability) of 25% in forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% (FEF25–75) with 41% sensitivity, 80% specificity. The higher positive likelihood ratio for asthma equalled three for a bronchodilator response of 11% in FEV0.5 (sensitivity 30%, specificity 90%). ConclusionsIn this sample of Chilean preschoolers, spirometry had a very high performance and bronchodilator response was very specific but had low sensitivity to confirm asthma diagnosis.

Food neophobia in Latino preschoolers: correlation with intake and pilot intervention results (252.2)

Background: Parent perception of a child’s willingness to try new foods may impact the dietary patterns and has not been well described in low‐income Latino preschool children.Objectives: 1. To describe relationships between parent perceived neophobia, a child’s willingness to try foods, and intake of healthful foods; and, 2. To describe results of an intervention to decrease perceived neophobia among low‐income Latino parents and increase liking of healthful foods among preschool‐aged children.Methods: Mothers and their children 3‐7 years participated. Questionnaires assessed maternal‐reported neophobia at baseline. Child's familiarity, willingness‐to‐try, and liking of 10 healthful foods were assessed at baseline. Children completed 10 childcare sessions with activities focused on increasing familiarity with healthful foods. A 1oz portion of each food was offered at each session and consumption was measured. Parents received a report on session content and snacks consumed. Parent and child surveys were repeated following the intervention. Spearman correlation coefficients tested associations and paired t‐tests compared changes in mean responses.Results: 29 dyads completed baseline and follow‐up assessments. Most foods were unfamiliar to 80% or more of children. Parent‐report neophobia was not significantly correlated with the number of foods a child reported willingness to try r=0.25 (p=0.23), consumed 0.16 (p=0.11), or liked ‐0.05 (p=0.83). On 20 point scales, parent reported neophobia decreased ‐2.2 (‐3.7, ‐0.7) p=0.0073 and child liking of foods increased a 3.4 (0.8, 5.9) p=0.0129 after the intervention. Conclusions: Parents did not predict a child’s stated willingness to try healthful foods, consumption, or liking. Parent‐reported neophobia and child’s liking were modifiable. This pilot should be expanded to a larger population using a controlled design.Grant Funding Source: Supported by the Colorado Health Foundation

Obesity prevention targeting Latino preschool children attending family childcare homes (380.4)

Obesity prevention targeting Latino preschool children attending family childcare homes Background Obesity prevalence among minority populations, particularly Latinos, is a pressing public health concern. Many Latino families use Family Child Care Homes (FCCHs) services, making these settings a potentially important venue for obesity prevention.Objective Explore interpersonal and organizational influences on nutrition and physical activity behaviors associated with obesity risk among Latino preschoolers enrolled in licensed FCCH.Methods Using a combination of qualitative methods, we identified state‐level policy and practice pertaining to nutrition and physical activity (PA) in pre‐school care settings through researching Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care website; additionally we interviewed representatives (N=16) of various regulatory/training agencies associated with FCCH. We conducted focus groups with Latino family childcare providers, plus Latino parents of children in care (4 each type). We will code information and use qualitative analysis methods to create reports.Results A disparate level of nutrition and PA standards and training resources is currently available to providers. Providers face challenges, which include cultural perspectives of parents, in promoting healthful eating and PA habits for children in their care.Conclusion Obesity prevention among Latino pre‐school children attending FCCHs could be enhanced through improved coordination of state agencies and training/educational strategies for providers and parents.Grant Funding Source: supported by Aetna Foundation

Socio-Cultural, Organizational, and Community Level Influences on Physical Activity Levels of Latino Preschool-Age Children: A Qualitative Study

Objectives: As more children grow up in families with immigrant parents of Latino origin, there is a need to understand key influences on physical activity behaviors of young Latino children to prevent obesity in this high-risk group. Design: We conducted six focus groups with low-income Latina mothers (N = 33) whose preschool-aged children (2-5 years) were enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program in Rhode Island. Data was analyzed using content analysis to identify recurrent themes. Results: Despite understanding the importance of physical activity for overall health, physical activity was not a top priority for the Latino mothers participating in the focus groups. Mothers reported facing numerous barriers to establishing and maintaining healthful physical activity habits for their preschool-aged children and themselves, particularly financial and socio-cultural barriers. Analyses revealed that Latina mothers perceive the WIC as a program focused on the development and maintenance of healthy eating habits and nutritional status of children and not physical activity. Conclusions: Recognizing the importance of socioeconomic position and the influence of cultural factors on physical activity is essential if effective prevention and intervention programs for Latino families and their children are to be designed. Study findings emphasize the importance of the family as a central unit of change and suggest that successful interventions to promote physical activity of low-income Latino preschool children must take into account the needs and constraints of the family unit as a whole. The WIC program has the potential to be a venue for promoting awareness of and educating low-income Latino parents about the importance of helping their children develop and maintain early healthful physical activity habits. The WIC program can also play an important role in facilitating access and creating programs and services that provide increased opportunities for physical activity of young children and their families.

The Influence of Older Siblings on Language Use Among Second‐Generation Latino Preschoolers

TESOL QuarterlyVolume 48, Issue 1 p. 164-175 Brief Reports and Summaries The Influence of Older Siblings on Language Use Among Second-Generation Latino Preschoolers Amanda K. Kibler, Amanda K. Kibler Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United StatesSearch for more papers by this authorNatalia Palacios, Natalia Palacios Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United StatesSearch for more papers by this authorAshley Simpson Baird, Ashley Simpson Baird Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United StatesSearch for more papers by this author Amanda K. Kibler, Amanda K. Kibler Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United StatesSearch for more papers by this authorNatalia Palacios, Natalia Palacios Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United StatesSearch for more papers by this authorAshley Simpson Baird, Ashley Simpson Baird Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United StatesSearch for more papers by this author First published: 25 February 2014 https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.151Citations: 15 TESOL Quarterly invites readers to submit short reports and updates on their work. These summaries may address any areas of interest to Quarterly readers. Edited by Lia Plakans University of Iowa Lawrence Jun Zhang University of Auckland Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume48, Issue1March 2014Pages 164-175 RelatedInformation

Spanish-Language Home Visitation to Disadvantaged Latino Preschoolers: A Means of Promoting Language Development and English School Readiness

This study reports five years of a school readiness intervention called “HABLA” (Home Based Activities Building Language Acquisition), designed to increase and enrich speech and literacy activities in the homes of economically and educationally disadvantaged Latino families with children between the age of 2 and 4. A team of trained home visitors provided two years of a 23-week program of visitation in which they met with parent(s) and child twice weekly. Both years presented a Spanish language adaptation of the parent-child home program model; home visitors provide intensive modeling and coaching of non-directive Spanish language use, conversation, and literacy activities. Administration of the PLS-3 in Spanish at the onset and culmination of each year of the program indicates significant increases in receptive and expressive language for each year of visitation (7.8 standard points for the first year, 4.4 for the second) with effect-size r ranging from .24 to 42. Participants had significantly improved their levels of oral Spanish skill and scored much higher than a comparison group of non-treated. A subset of graduates of the two-year program was tested as kindergarteners; they showed a continued advantage over a comparison group of 18 peers who had not received the intervention. For the graduates, both their Spanish PLS-3 scores and English PLS-4 scores were significantly higher, and their parents reported a continued effort to provide literacy experiences at home. The HABLA participants also showed a clear advantage for an English language test of phonological awareness, one of the strongest predictors of school success.

Emergent self-regulation skills among very young ethnic minority children: A confirmatory factor model

Emerging self-regulation skills were assessed in 407 low-income African American and Latino (primarily Mexican-origin) preschoolers. A battery of self-regulation tasks was administered when children were 2½ years old and again approximately 1 year later. Confirmatory factor analyses supported four components of self-regulation: inhibitory control, complex response inhibition, set shifting, and working memory. Complex response inhibition was too rare a skill in this sample to be detected reliably from measures collected at 2½ years of age, but it emerged from measures collected at 3½ years. In addition, significant ethnic differences were found in that African American children scored better on measures of complex response inhibition and set shifting, whereas Latino children scored better on measures of inhibitory control and working memory. Implications of study findings for measuring self-regulation in low-income ethnic diverse populations of young children, as well as for developing interventions to enhance self-regulation development, are discussed.

Convergent Validity of Preschool Children's Television Viewing Measures among Low-Income Latino Families: A Cross-Sectional Study

Television viewing is an important modifiable risk factor for childhood obesity. However, valid methods for measuring children's TV viewing are sparse and few studies have included Latinos, a population disproportionately affected by obesity. The goal of this study was to test the reliability and convergent validity of four TV viewing measures among low-income Latino preschool children in the United States. Latino children (n=96) ages 3-5 years old were recruited from four Head Start centers in Houston, Texas (January, 2009, to June, 2010). TV viewing was measured concurrently over 7 days by four methods: (1) TV diaries (parent reported), (2) sedentary time (accelerometry), (3) TV Allowance (an electronic TV power meter), and (4) Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) on personal digital assistants (parent reported). This 7-day procedure was repeated 3-4 weeks later. Test-retest reliability was determined by intraclass correlations (ICC). Spearman correlations (due to nonnormal distributions) were used to determine convergent validity compared to the TV diary. The TV diary had the highest test-retest reliability (ICC=0.82, p<0.001), followed by the TV Allowance (ICC=0.69, p<0.001), EMA (ICC=0.46, p<0.001), and accelerometry (ICC=0.36-0.38, p<0.01). The TV Allowance (r=0.45-0.55, p<0.001) and EMA (r=0.47-0.51, p<0.001) methods were significantly correlated with TV diaries. Accelerometer-determined sedentary minutes were not correlated with TV diaries. The TV Allowance and EMA methods were significantly correlated with each other (r=0.48-0.53, p<0.001). The TV diary is feasible and is the most reliable method for measuring US Latino preschool children's TV viewing.

Correlates of Adiposity Among Latino Preschool Children

Childhood obesity is at record high levels in the US and disproportionately affects Latino children; however, studies examining Latino preschool children's obesity-related risk factors are sparse. This study determined correlates of Latino preschoolers' (ages 3-5 years) adiposity to inform future obesity interventions and policies. Latino preschoolers (n = 96) from 4 Head Start centers in Houston, Texas were recruited. Parents reported acculturation and neighborhood safety. Children's and parents' height and weight were measured. Children's television (TV) viewing was measured by TV diaries and physical activity by accelerometers. Linear regression was used with body mass index (BMI) z-score as the dependent variable and covariates sequentially added and retained in 4 blocks: 1) child age, gender, parent education, and BMI; 2) neighborhood safety and parent and child acculturation; 3) TV viewing; and 4) moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). In the final model (n = 96), only neighborhood disorder (β = 0.30, P = .005) and MVPA (β = -0.21, P = .049) were significantly associated with BMI z-score. Among Latino preschoolers, higher neighborhood disorder and lower MVPA were associated with greater children's BMI z-scores.