I work at Early Head Start (EHS) as an intern, and so, I'm turning my blog towards thinking about federal infant and toddler care. EHS provides developmental services to low-income children and is funded by local and federal sources. But, knowing that EHS can't possibly serve all of the low-income families in America, how does it identify the populations that it does serve?
Community Assessments. These are surveys of the level of need in a community which are submitted as part of grant proposals and thus, identifying populations in the community who are eligible for services is directly tied to program funding. (Head Start centers operate locally, and must apply for federal funds once every three years). These assessments are complex, long-term processes and, to help centers complete them, a guide to Community Assessments (5 Steps to Community Assessment) has been published.
The latest version is subtitled: "a workbook for Head Start and Early Head Start programs serving Hispanic and other emerging populations." But, wait a second, since when are Hispanics an emerging community? Many of those we would categorize as part of that 'emerging' population have been a part of the population for the entirety of our national history. Perhaps the writers were too wary of the politically-charged term 'immigrant' to state it outright in the title, but the term is sprinkled liberally throughout the document and from the context, the intention of helping centers locate immigrants with needs for developmental services is clear.
The use of this term de-centers the experience of the Hispanic in America. Although overtaking caucasians in the national population, the normative experience in America is still that of the white child. The use of a term such as 'emerging' reinforces the concept that this country is dominated by populations other than Hispanic ones as well as displays a bias against the acceptability of immigrant/migrant status.
Here is the link for the Community Assessment guide
I fear that, even if and when the "white folks" are considered the minority by a long shot, everyone else will still be considered "emerging populations." I'm not sure what it will take for the systems of power to shift to something more egalitarian. Is there a dramatic rise in the Hispanic population in the Head Start programs? I don't know much about the history of demographics in Head Start.
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