Child development training program breaks language barriers to serve its students

We know that many immigrants come to the U.S. to work in unskilled labor positions. But what about those immigrants who have an education or training in a particular field, but lack the English-language skills needed to continue their education and pursue meaningful employment here?

UC Davis Extension's Center for Excellence in Child Development provides education to thousands of non-native speakers each year—like the group of 30 Chinese immigrants who work as childcare providers in the Los Angeles area. Because of the language barrier, these immigrants struggle with taking child development classes at local community colleges. But last fall, UC Davis Extension delivered a childcare training program directly to them in Los Angeles…and it was taught in Cantonese.

"There are very few resources for quality childcare training conducted in Chinese in Southern California," explains Pamela Kwok, family childcare coordinator at the International Institute of Los Angeles. So when she learned about UC Davis Extension's ability to deliver on-site childcare courses in Cantonese, she saw it as a valuable opportunity.

For nearly 100 years the International Institute of Los Angeles (IILA) has provided a welcome place for immigrants to go and receive assistance with integrating into their new (unfamiliar) society. The institute offers free or low-cost child care to its members who are pursuing employment or attending college. Most of the students who participated in the UC Davis Extension program work as family childcare providers contracted by the IILA, and the rest are independent, home-based childcare providers in communities throughout Los Angeles County and Orange County.

As part of the Family Child Care at Its Best program, the students completed a series of five courses designed to promote kindergarten readiness—an important issue in today's educational system. In addition to the course lectures taught in Cantonese, students received translated versions of all course materials and workbooks.

"After completing the program, the students really gained a positive attitude towards their career," says Kwok. "They have already made changes in their childcare environment and are providing child-initiated activities." Kwok adds that the students now have more confidence to pursue additional coursework in child development at their local community colleges (in English).

According to Diane Harkins, director of the Center for Excellence in Child Development at UC Davis Extension, one of the main objectives of the Family Child Care at Its Best program is to increase the access of high-quality, university-based continuing education to a widely diverse audience. To achieve this, courses can be taught in English, Spanish, Russian or Cantonese. The program is funded by the California Department of Education, which enables UC Davis Extension to offer the courses free to students—making them even more accessible to those who would otherwise be unable to afford them.

"We take pride in our efforts and successes in meeting the educational needs of California's highly diverse population of childcare providers," says Harkins. Since the program's development 20 years ago, all 58 counties in California have participated in the program's offerings.

"Our institute will definitely want to use UC Davis Extension for childcare training in the future," Kwok says. "We have a big need for training in Spanish, too."

For more information about the Center for Excellence in Child Development and its course offerings, go to www.humanservices.ucdavis.edu/childdev.