Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Nearly 18 million children under the age of 18 in the U.S. have at least one immigrant parent, and half of foreign-born adults have limited English proficiency (Zong & Batalova, 2015). Higher levels of adult English language literacy are associated with higher levels of educational attainment, rates of employment, and wages, factors which influence the well-being of parents and children (Zong & Batalova, 2015). Parents’ English language proficiency also plays a critical role in fostering children’s development and academic achievement (Ji & Kablinsky, 2009; Karoly & Gonzalez, 2011; Sibley & Dearing, 2014).

Head Start, the largest and only federally funded early childhood education program for low-income children, serves over 300,000 Dual Language Learner (DLL) children annually representing almost one third of the total Head Start population, a proportion that is rising (Moiduddin, Aikens, Tarullo, West, & Zue, 2012; Passel & Cohen, 2008; Office of Head Start 2016). Head Start policymakers and program administrators have long recognized the need to support the English language literacy of parents in order to promote the school success of DLL children (Office of Head Start, 2016a). While English language learning can be an integral component of DLL children’s classrooms, more needs to be done to support the English language skills of Head Start parents. In 2015, only 5% of Head Start parents received English as a Second Language (ESL) services (Office of Head Start, 2016b).

 In the current study, we examine the implementation of a novel ESL program with a Head Start base. The Two-Generation ESL Program of the Community Action Project of Tulsa County (CAP Tulsa) enrolls Head Start parents in tuition-free ESL classes, offers a parent curriculum contextualized to children’s learning, and schedules parent classes to accommodate children’s schooling. Key to the program’s design is the recruitment of parents from Head Start centers in which children already participate in high-quality early childhood education programming and care.

The goal of this mixed-method study is to: (1) examine parents’ attendance and English language acquisition, and (2) to explore factors that may explain these results. As part of a randomized control trial, we are following ESL program participants (n = 75) for one year starting in fall 2014. Initial analyses (n = 46) show that 81% remained in the program after one semester and 50% after two. Parents on average improved Best Plus scores by 2.3 levels over two semesters. These rates are much higher than traditional, stand-alone ESL programs. Based on focus groups with parents and staff, we find that success may be tied to the program’s design that meets parents’ primary interests (e.g., simultaneously supporting their children’s development and improving their English language skills) and eliminates key barriers to participation (e.g., high quality education and care for children coordinated with ESL classes for parents). The study suggests that combining Head Start services with ESL programs may be more effective for parents than separate ESL programs.