Immigrant and U.S.-Born Parents of Young and Elementary-School-Age Children: Key Sociodemographic Characteristics

Parents play a critical role in supporting the school readiness and educational success of their children—a role that took on even greater importance with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated shift to remote learning. This is particularly true of parents with elementary- and preschool-age children, as they play a large role in mediating access to remote education and supervising their child's learning.

Despite their strengths, immigrant parents are more likely than their native-born peers to face certain obstacles to supporting their children’s education—both during the pandemic and in more normal times. These include limited English proficiency, lower levels of formal education, the nature of their employment, and digital access barriers.

This fact sheet series analyzes U.S. Census Bureau data to explore the sociodemographic characteristics of immigrant and U.S.-born parents nationwide and in 31 states. Each sheet looks at the parents of children in two age bands: ages 0 to 4 and 5 to 10. This breakdown reflects the fact that families’ needs often differ depending on children’s age, and that many education and health and human services systems align their efforts to particular age groups. The information presented aims to support efforts to better understand and more equitably address the integration needs of immigrant families.

Read the U.S. fact sheet, or access the state fact sheets below: