Hmong Early Childhood Education Needs Assessment

This needs assessment explores issues related to early childhood education in the Hmong community, perceptions of school readiness, challenges parents face, and what Hmong parents can do for their children to prepare them for kindergarten. The needs assessment was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 304 adults using a structured questionnaire. A majority of participants did not appear to have acculturated or culturally assimilated to American customs. Data indicate that 59 percent of the participants still use Hmong as the primary language spoken to their children at home. Half of the participants reported that they stay home during the day to care for their children. Sixty percent of the participants were unemployed. Fifteen percent of the participants said their children attended licensed home day care, and five percent said their children were cared for in a day care center. Results show that most parents who have pre-kindergarten children enrolled them in public pre-K programs. Head Start is the second most common pre-kindergarten program that participants enrolled their pre-K children in. The primary reason for Hmong parents not using formal child care was cost. Although results show that Hmong parents understand the importance of early childhood education, their exposure to early literacy, age-appropriate parenting strategies, and teaching activities is limited. Materials need to be produced and made available for the Hmong community in order to mobilize them for school readiness.