Abstract
Current literature demonstrates the benefits of family-based migration and the impact that separation from family has on children. However, less is known about the specific role of extended family in shaping the development of immigrant youth. This article focuses on answering the question: How do low-income immigrants utilize extended families to aide in physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of their preschool children? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 Hispanic or Asian families in a diverse urban community located outside of New York City. In addition, to build a more thorough understanding of each immigrant child, teachers were interviewed, and classroom experiences were observed for a duration of 3 months. Using this data, the article describes specific ways immigrants leverage family ties for the well-being of children. Several, for example, pooled resources in the form of time, skills, and finances to support children’s needs. Some indicated that separation from extended family related to minimal support with children’s learning. Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory is utilized to highlight this intricate connection between immigration policy and educational opportunity.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alegría, M., Álvarez, K., & DiMarzio, K. (2017, June). Immigration and mental health. Current Epidemiological Reports, 4(2), 145–155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40471-017-0111-2
American Immigration Council. (2013). The advantages of family-based immigration. Retrieved from https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/advantages-family-based-immigration
American Immigration Council. (2019) U.S. citizen children impacted by immigration enforcement. Retrieved from https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/us_citizen_children_impacted_by_immigration_enforcement.pdf
Artiga, Daminco, & Garfield (2018). Potential effects of public charge changes on health coverage for citizen children. KFF. Retrieved from http://files.kff.org/attachment/Issue-Brief-Potential-Effects-of-Public-Charge-Changes-on-Health-Coverage-for-Citizen-Children
Borjas, G. J. (1999). Heaven’s door: Immigration policy and the American economy. Princeton University Press.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (2009). Ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.
Charmaz, K. (2011). Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. Sage.
Enchautegui, M. E., & Menjívar, C. (2015). Paradoxes of family immigration policy: Separation, reorganization, and reunification of families under current immigration laws. Law & Policy, 37(1–2), 32–60.
Epstein, J. L. (2018). School, family, and community partnerships: Preparing educators and improving schools. Routledge.
Evans, G. W., & Cassells, R. C. (2014). Childhood poverty, cumulative risk exposure, and mental in emerging adults. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice, 2(3), 287–296. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702613501496
Fairlie, R. (2012). Immigrant entrepreneurs and small business owners, and their access to financial capital. Washington, DC: US Small Business Administration. Retrieved from https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/rs396tot.pdf
Freed A.O. (1988) Interviewing through an interpreter. Social Work July/August, 315–319.
Gonzalez, R. (2018). Trump administration ends Temporary Protected Status for Hondurans. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwoway/2018/05/04/608654408/trump-administration-ends-temporary-protected-status-for-hondurans
Grandara, P. and Ee, J. (2018). U.S. immigration enforcement policy and its impact on teaching and learning in nation’s schools. The Civil Rights Project, 7–16. Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3047w6xq
Greenberg, E., Adams, G., & Michie, M. (2016). Barriers to preschool participation for low-income children of immigrants in Silicon Valley. Washington, DC: Urban Institute. Retrieved from http://www.urban.org/research/publication/supporting-immigrant-families-accessprekindergarten
Gubernskaya, Z., & Dreby, J. (2017). Journal on Migration and Human Security, 5(2), 417–430.
Harvard Graduate School of Education. (2011). Pathways to prosperity: Meeting the challenge of preparing young Americans for the 21st century. Author.
Kapborg, I., & Bertero, C. (2002). Using an interpreter in qualitative interviews: Does it threaten validity? Nursing Inquiry, 9(1), 52–56.
Kim, R. (2001). Lonely life for immigrant kids in America. Retrieved from http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Lonely-life-for-immigrant-kids-in-America-2904142.php
Kyllonen, P. C. (2017). Socio-emotional and self-management variables in learning and assessment. The wiley handbook of cognition and assessment: Frameworks, methodologies, and applications (pp. 174–197). John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Landale, N. S., Thomas, K. J. A., & Van Hook, J. (2011). The living arrangements of children of immigrants. Future of Children, 21(1), 43–70.
Maslow, A. (1954). Motivation and personality. Harper.
Maulbeck, J. (2014). Understanding the factors that shape low-income student experience: A case study of an urban preschool. [Doctoral Dissertation, Rutgers University]. ProQuest Dissertation Publishing.
Migration Policy Institute. (n.d.) Profile of the unauthorized population: United States. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute. Retrieved from http://www.migrationpolicy.org/data/unauthorized-immigrant-population/state/US
Murray, C. D., & Wynne, J. (2001). Researching community, work and family with an interpreter. Community, Work and Family, 4(2), 151–171.
The economic and fiscal consequences of immigration. The National Academies Press.
National Immigration Forum. (2018a). Fact sheet: Family based immigration. Retrieved from https://immigrationforum.org/article/fact-sheet-family-based-immigration/
National Immigration Forum. (2018b). Fact sheet: Immigrants and public benefits. Retrieved from https://immigrationforum.org/article/fact-sheet-immigrants-and-public-benefits/
Nazario, S. (2006). Enrique’s journey: The story of a boy’s dangerous odyssey to reunite with his mother. New York. Random House.
Oh, H., Ardelt, M., & Koropeckyj-Cox, T. (2017). Daughters’ generation: The importance of having daughters living nearby for older Korean immigrants’ mental health. Journal of Family Issues, 38, 2329–2345. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X16640023
Reyes, A. M. (2019). Mitigating poverty through the formation of extended family households: Race and ethnicity. Social Problems, 46. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spz046
Sherman, C., Mendoza, M., and Burke, G. (2019). U.S. held record number of migrant kids in custody in 2019. ABC News. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-held-record-number-migrant-kids-custody-2019-66929110
Suarez-Orozco, C., & Suarez-Orozco, M. M. (2001). Children of immigration. Harvard University Press.
Suarez-Orozco, C., Abo-Zena, M., & Marks, A. (2015). Transitions: The development of the children of immigrants. New York University Press.
Treas, J., & Gubernskaya, Z. (2015). Policy contradictions and immigrant families. Public Policy & Aging Report, 25(3), 107–112.
U.S. Department of State. (2018). Annual report of immigrant visa applicants in the family-sponsored and employment-based preferences registered at the National Visa Center as of November 1, 2017. Retrieved from https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Statistics/ImmigrantStatistics/WaitingList/WaitingListItem_2017.pdf
Vaalavuo, M. (2016). Deterioration in health: What is the role of unemployment and poverty? Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 44(4), 347–353. https://doi.org/10.1177/1403494815623654
Vargas, E. D. (2015). Immigration enforcement and mixed-status families: The effects of risk of deportation on Medicaid use. Children and Youth Services Review, 57, 83–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2015.07.009
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Maulbeck, J. “Not Having Family as One Makes It even Harder for My Kids to Learn:” Understanding Benefits of Family-Based Migration. Int. Migration & Integration 23, 1257–1276 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-021-00887-1
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-021-00887-1