Culture: National Farmworker Awareness Week 2017

From 2000 to 2014, Latinos accounted for over half of all population growth in the US. Although birth and immigration rates among Latinos have slowed since the Great Recession, as of 2014 Latinos made up 17% of the general US population, making Latinos the largest ethnic minority group. By 2060, Latinos are projected to make up over a quarter of all Americans.

Second-generation Latinos, as discussed in a recent piece in the Pacific Standard, tend to engage in “selective acculturation,” in which “fluent bilingualism and the reinforcement of ethnic identity” define an individual’s place in US culture as opposed to gradual erasure of that individual’s ethnic identity.

The US should focus on providing bi-cultural Americans with the best start in life that the government can offer. Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) represents the best chance many children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers have to receive that crucial, quality start. Farmworker Justice is proud of our collaborations with the MSHS programs and particularly the work of the East Coast Migrant Head Start Project.

Research shows that high-quality early childhood education not only improves a student’s individual academic and economic prospects, but provides society-wide social and economic benefits as well; perhaps most compellingly, research indicates that these societal benefits are so great that early childhood education programs end up paying for themselves.

MSHS provides early childhood education on a schedule that supports the work patterns of migrant and seasonal farmworkers. It provides extended care hours and meals to students, along with assistance accessing healthcare and social services. Amidst drastic domestic budget cuts, we must continue to fight for those that support health and success of farmworker children, Learn more about the East Coast Migrant Head Start Project by following their facebook page here.

From 2000 to 2014, Latinos accounted for over half of all population growth in the US. Although birth and immigration rates among Latinos have slowed since the Great Recession, as of 2014 Latinos made up 17% of the general US population, making Latinos the largest ethnic minority group. By 2060, Latinos are projected to make up over a quarter of all Americans.

Second-generation Latinos, as discussed in a recent piece in the Pacific Standard, tend to engage in “selective acculturation,” in which “fluent bilingualism and the reinforcement of ethnic identity” define an individual’s place in US culture as opposed to gradual erasure of that individual’s ethnic identity.

The US should focus on providing bi-cultural Americans with the best start in life that the government can offer. Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) represents the best chance many children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers have to receive that crucial, quality start. Farmworker Justice is proud of our collaborations with the MSHS programs and particularly the work of the East Coast Migrant Head Start Project.

Research shows that high-quality early childhood education not only improves a student’s individual academic and economic prospects, but provides society-wide social and economic benefits as well; perhaps most compellingly, research indicates that these societal benefits are so great that early childhood education programs end up paying for themselves.

MSHS provides early childhood education on a schedule that supports the work patterns of migrant and seasonal farmworkers. It provides extended care hours and meals to students, along with assistance accessing healthcare and social services. Amidst drastic domestic budget cuts, we must continue to fight for those that support health and success of farmworker children, Learn more about the East Coast Migrant Head Start Project by following their facebook page here.