A new brief from LCH highlights disparities accentuated during the pandemic, including access to digital resources, as families experienced income reduction and transitioned to digital online homeschooling.
University of Washington, Seattle: As part of a COVID-19 policy brief the Latino Center for Health reports that the disruption of education during the pandemic posed challenges for Latino parents and students in Washington state as they managed language, educational, and technology barriers.
Access to digital resources posed challenges for Latino parents and students during the shift to remote learning as families experienced job loss and income reduction. As part of LCH’s COVID-19 survey study, 34 percent of the respondents reported new childcare and/or homeschooling responsibilities. Half reported having access to a computer or a tablet for their children to attend school online.
“The long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are yet to be determined. For Latino children and adolescents in particular, the pandemic exacerbated existing educational gaps that will have long-lasting effects on their academic advancement,” said brief co-author Nathalia Jimenez; MD, MPH. “Our survey shows the limitations that Latino families experienced when schools moved to remote, online learning including limited access to high-speed internet and digital technology. The loss of school support systems also added to the stress of parents who are primarily Spanish speaking and who are unfamiliar with the U.S. school system.”
Latinos account for 13 percent of the state’s population, and one in five children in Washington state is Latino. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Latino students in Washington already had lower access to digital tools and high-speed internet at home than other racial/ethnic groups. To close educational gaps for this vulnerable group, LCH policy recommendations include:
● Closing the digital divide by ensuring household access to high-speed internet service and providing updated computers and tablets to all students.
● Addressing the cultural and linguistic needs by using a family and community engagement framework and providing tutoring and other support systems for mono-lingual and bilingual Latino students and families.
● Tracking the educational achievement of Latino students to measure the compounding impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student performance, identify needs and provide resources.
This policy brief is part of LCH’s COVID-19 policy brief series. LCH researchers used data from the 2019 Census QuickFacts website and the WA State Department of Health COVID-19 Dashboard.
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The Latino Center for Health is committed to advancing the field of Latino health through building capacity to support culturally responsive research and shaping the next generation of leaders equipped to respond to current and emerging health issues facing diverse Latino communities in the state and region. Through prioritizing community-academic partnerships, professional training and mentorship, and innovative research approaches, the Latino Center for Health positions itself as a critical resource to inform policy development and effective practices promoting health in urban and rural settings across Washington state.