1. Serving Latino Children and
Families in Virginia Libraries
Katie Cunningham
Training Specialist / Consultant
www.bilingualchildrensprogramming.blogspot.com

2. Today’s Presentation
 Demographics
 Cultural Considerations
 Latino Children and School Success
 Resources
 Programming Ideas
 Questions

3. Demographics
Quick facts about Hispanics in the
United States and Virginia

4. A brief word about terminology
 “Hispanic” and “Latino” are often used
interchangeably in the United States,
though some people may prefer one over
another, or prefer a nomenclature that
references their specific country or origin
(such as Mexican American).
 “Hispanic” was first used as racial
identifier by the Census in 1970. The new
Census uses Hispanic or Latino.
 The Hispanic Population: 2010

6. WHO IS THE LATINO
CHILD?

7. Who is the Latino child?
 The Latino community is extremely
diverse!
 The Hispanic/Latino community in the
United States can include immigrants
from Latin American countries, the
Caribbean and Spain, as well as native
born Americans.
 Not all Latinos speak Spanish.
 Food, customs and language can be very
different within the Latino community
depending on what country one’s heritage
is from.

8. Latinos make up the largest minority
group in the United States.
 There are more than 50 million Latinos in
the United States; this is over 16% of the
population.
 The Hispanic population grew by 43%
between 2000 and 2010.
 Over half of the growth in the total
population of the United States between
2000 and 2010 was due to the increase in
the Hispanic population.
 Latinos are the fastest growing
demographic in the United States.

9. Latinos are in the South.
 36% of Hispanics living in the U.S. live in
the South.
 The Hispanic population in the South grew
by 57% between 2000 and 2010
 This is four times the growth of the total
population in the South.

10. Virginia
 Virginia is one of 16 states with a Hispanic
population of at least 500,000.
 The number of Hispanics in Virginia
doubled over the last decade.
 9% of K-12 students in Virginia are
Hispanic.
 Virginia has the 4th largest Salvadoran
population in the United States.

11. SERVING LATINO
IMMIGRANTS
Cultural Considerations

12. CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS
 Language Barrier
 Cultural Barrier
 Systemic Differences
 Librería
 Family
 Personal relationship / Trust
 Outreach is a critical component to
delivering service

13. Latino Children and School
Success
Challenges and opportunities

14. Early Literacy and School Readiness
 More than 3 out of 5 Latino children are
growing up in a home where at least one
parent is an immigrant
 More Latino children are growing up in
poverty than any other race
 Latino children are underrepresented in
early childhood education programs
 Latino youth are less likely to complete
high school than other demographics

15. What is the role of the library?
 Bilingual and Spanish books
 Storytimes
 Early literacy workshops
 Homework help programs

16. Resources

17. Professional Development
 ¡Cuéntame un cuento! Latino Cultural
Inclusion in Juvenile Collections
 A webinar offered through LUCY, September
 Connecting with the Spanish-Speaking
Community
 A four-week online course offered through the
Library of Virginia that begins October 1.
 Bilingual Storytime at Your Biblioteca
 A four-week online course offered through the
Library of Virginia that begins January 14.

18. REFORMA
 National Organization to Promote Library
and Information Services to Latinos and
the Spanish-Speaking
 Interactive forums
 Bi-annual conference
 Toolkit for Dealing with Anti-Immigrant
Sentiment
 Book Reviews, Bibliographies and
Programming Ideas
 Reforma Southeast

19. REFORMA

20. Colorín Colorado
 Bilingual sister-site of Reading
Rockets
 Provides information, activities and
advice for educators and Spanish-
speaking families of English-
language learners
 Early literacy and school readiness
articles
 Reading tip sheets for parents

21. Colorín Colorado

22. Para los Niños
 A family learning program for
parents whose first language is
Spanish
 Developed in collaboration by
Children’s Museum of Houston and
Houston Public Library
 All materials are available in English
and Spanish for free!

23. Para los Niños

24. ¡Es Divertido Hablar Dos Idiomas!
 My blog dedicated to all things
bilingual storytime and library
services to Latino families
 Program ideas, handouts, discovery
centers, flannelboard patterns, book
reviews, articles and more!

25. ¡Es Divertido Hablar Dos Idiomas!

26. Programming Ideas
Arroz con leche
Lotería
Día de los Muertos

27. ¡Arroz con leche!

28. The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden
Stirred

29. ¡Tiempo de música! “Arroz con leche”
From/De Jugemos a Cantar
Music Time! Arroz con leche
Cantando canciones con su
niño(a) es una manera Me quiero casar
divertida a ayudarle a
aprender palabras nuevas Con una señorita de la
(vocabulario) y a
desarrollar la habilidad de capital.
escuchar y manipular varios
sonidos (la conciencia Que sepa coser, que sepa
fonológica). Ambos son
habilidades de pre-
bordar
alfabetización muy
importantes.
Que sepa abrir la puerta
para ir a jugar.
Singing songs together is a
fun way to help your child Con ésta sí, con ésta no
learn new words
(vocabulary), and develop Con esta señorita me caso
the ability to hear and
manipulate sounds
yo.
(phonological
awareness). These are
both important pre-reading
skills!

30. Arroz con leche / Rice Pudding

31. Imagination / Imaginación
Let’s Make Arroz con Cocinamos arroz con
Leche leche
2 cups of rice 2 tazas de arroz
2 cups of water 2 taza de agua
Some cinnamon sticks Unas rajitas de canela
4 cups of milk 4 tazas de leche
½ cup of sugar Media taza de azucar
A pinch of salt Unos granitos de sal

32. ¡Arroz con leche!

33. Centros de
descubrimiento
Discovery Centers
1. A taste of arroz con
leche / El sabor de
Los padres pueden ayudar a
sus niños(as) con actividades arroz con leche
en los tres centros de
descubrimiento. Cada centro
sugiere algunos tópicos para
conversar y preguntar a sus
niños(as). Estos centros
ayudan al desarrollo de pre-
2. Everybody Eats /
alfabetización y preparación
escolar.
Comemos Todos
Parents can help their
children with the activities at
the three discovery centers.
Each discovery center
suggests topics to talk with
your child about and
questions to ask him or her.
These stations each help
build early literacy and
school readiness skills.

34. Lotería

35. Playing Lotería / El juego de la lotería

36. Just in Case

37. El Día de los Muertos / The Day of the
Dead

38. El Día de los Muertos / The Day of the
Dead

39. El Día de los Muertos / The Day of the
Dead

40. Questions?
Final thoughts and a special treat for
YOU!