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Erikson hosts White House summit on boosting outcomes for Latino children

Erikson hosted this month a symposium sponsored by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics and the U.S. Department of Education.

Professor Luisiana Meléndez, director of Erikson’s Bilingual/ESL Certificate Program, and professor Barbara Bowman both spoke at the summit to a national audience of scholars, practitioners, and public and private sector leaders.

Early childhood leaders from across the country attended the two-day event, discussing current research and new ideas for policy and practice in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics education; family engagement; dual language learning; and culturally relevant care and teaching.

Reaching Latino communities

According to the Initiative’s executive director Alejandra Ceja, the summit was an ideal way to engage in a critical conversation about the best ways to integrate the Latino community into the early education discussion.

“The multiple cognitive and educational benefits of bilingual education for all children are being documented in one study after another,” Erikson president Geoffrey A. Nagle, PhD, said at the event.

Nagle noted the critical importance of reaching Latino children through quality early learning programs.

NCB NEWS: Latino Educators Stress Making Early Childhood Education A Priority

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