Project Overview

The Nuestros Niños/Our Children Project was funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement. The project addressed important issues brought about by the changing demographics of the nation and the need for more information about the appropriateness of services for children and families from diverse backgrounds. The goals of this three-year research project were to examine how well early childhood and intervention programs met the educational and linguistic needs of Latino children (birth to 5) and their families, and to identify emerging policies and practices that supported these efforts.

The project had three components:

1. A national survey with state administrators of early childhood programs from all 50 states and the District of Columbia
2. Interviews with early childhood professionals, administrators, and Latino parents from three states (Florida, North Carolina, and Washington), and
3. Classroom observations in programs that enroll Latino children and families from these three states