Colorado has the second-largest proficiency gap between 4th graders who are English language learners and those who are fluent in English. That’s according to a new report by the nonprofit advocacy group Colorado Children’s Campaign, which examined U.S. Census data to understand the challenges facing children in immigrant families.
Lisa Piscopo, vice president of research at the organization, says early childhood learning programs could help this population. But immigrant families are less likely to enroll their children compared to U.S.-born families.
“So making sure every child can read [and] is prepared with the tools they need socially and academically by the time they start kindergarten—there are many different avenues you can take to make sure that everyone is ready,” she says.
Children in immigrant families are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. child population – and comprise 20 percent of Colorado’s children.
