Initiative

ISLA Padres Research: Early Childhood

ISLA PADRES Research: Early Childhood is a community based participatory research initiative that is designed to train four parents of the Latinx community to research and create an information/advocacy program on Early Childhood (children ages 0-5) for the Latino community. With this project we are empowering the community, providing clear and useful information, and improving services for early childhood for the Latino community. Parent researchers will provide clear recommendations to ensure accountability for culturally and linguistically equitable practices within the early child sector for the Latino Community.

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Fast Facts

Relevant Actions
State or Local? State
CountiesDurham, Orange, Wake
Lead Agency Immersion for Spanish Language Acquisition - ISLA NC
Type of Agency

Nonprofit

Racial Equity Lens
  • The program trains four parents of the Latinx community to understand, recognize and respond to discrimination and racism within the Latinx community. This training holds a space for researchers to share their stories in a safe space.
  • The parent researchers recognize their full potential as members of the Latinx community, and believe that they hold the fundamental tools, skills and knowledge to research, create and implement the program.
  • With this base, the researchers create policy change recommendations and advocacy efforts for other parents with children in early childhood ages.
Community Voice
  • The program uplifts the Latinx community’s cultural wealth to create policy change.
  • The program recognizes that the Latinx parents are the best individuals to recommend policy change for their community. 
  • The program engages as many Latinx families as possible, to create a program that serves their needs.
Impact
  • Prepares parent researchers to enhance the leadership that they inherently have to create programs, schools, workspaces and communities that protect and promote their children’s rights.
  • Researchers will conduct interviews with parents and primary care providers within the community. Once interviews conclude, the researchers will analyze the data. 
Next Steps
  • Researchers will create feasible solutions, advocacy tactics, and policy change recommendations, from the data collected.
Primary Partners
  • Parents of the Latinx community
  • Local grassroots organizations
  • Funders and donors
Primary Funders
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield NC Foundation
Contact Jenice Ramirez

Active Counties