Bradley’s article is devoted to the adaptation of immigrants, specifically, their children, to a new society and culture. In most cases, these children face several problems, mostly related to the difference in domestic culture and customs of the “outside” world.
More complex conditions for receiving child care and education for immigrants are also additional difficulties. While a child care center or school can be a place to help adapt a child, such a process requires specific knowledge from a teacher or child care provider (Bradley, 2020). A balance must be maintained between the culture of the parents and the place where the family came from, and the culture of the current country. According to the author, maintaining this balance and the constant transition from one lifestyle to another can prevent children from receiving a normal education, decently socializing, and achieving success.
This study’s main objective is to analyze the interaction of families of immigrants with the field of education and childcare at various levels. Thus, the main issues highlighted are studies of government policies that facilitate access to education for immigrants, analysis of ways to combine the interests of the child and family, and the specifics of work and the use of particular educational and child care practices (Bradley, 2020).
As a result of the study, the following key results were found. First of all, the situations under consideration largely depend on the values and preferences of the family, as well as acculturation. As practice shows, families of immigrants often use less non-parental care, limiting the circle to close relatives and friends, especially in insufficient knowledge of the English language. The interaction between school staff and family is often complicated by a lack of understanding of long-term goals. In addition, the presence of discrimination and neighborhood affects the child’s acclimatization; however, these factors are often too closely intertwined to be easily separated. Finally, despite the controversial issues, it was revealed that efforts are being made to improve the situation at all levels.
However, current analysis has shown a significant number of research gaps that do not consider many necessary factors, from ecology to differences in the nativity. The data found give conflicting results that can be interpreted differently since there are often no precise descriptions. Therefore, to draw concrete conclusions and propose clear policies for the acclimatization of immigrant children, further research using more inclusive theories is needed.
Reference
Bradley, R.H. (2020). Immigration and acculturation, child care and schooling. Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development. Web.