Raising Young Children in a New Country: Supporting Early Learning and Healthy Development

Refugee and immigrant families come to the United States with a wealth of parenting strengths, drawing on culture, tradition, and family experience. Like most parents in the US they tend to be responsible and nurturing, and have often sacrificed tremendously to provide their children with an opportunity for safety and success in this new country. At the same time, newcomer parents have experienced incredible loss, including the loss of extended family members, community, and homeland, and they must adapt to new traditions and lifestyles that are often at odds with their own beliefs and practices. Refugee and immigrant families also must overcome cultural, language, and practical barriers to access the community services they need, while these services must also learn about the newcomer families in their communities and how best to serve them.