NOW LEARNING COMMUNITY
Linking Immigrant Families to Early Childhood Education Project
New York City, New York
About Us
The Linking Immigrant Families to Early Childhood Education (LIFE) Project was developed and launched in January 2017. LIFE is a community-based outreach, education, enrollment support and advocacy project that aims to identify and overcome common barriers to immigrant families’ enrollment into NY's Pre-K/3-K programs. The LIFE Project is coordinated by the New York Immigration Coalition and encompasses several grassroots immigrant community-based organizations (CBOs) working in key New York City zip codes with substantial immigrant communities who conduct culturally and linguistically fluent outreach about the availability and benefits of these programs and provide tailored support throughout the application and enrollment process: MASA, LSA Family Health Service, and Neighbors Helping Neighbors/Fifth Avenue Committee.
Mission and Vision
LIFE aims to increase access to NYC’s Pre-K/3-K programs through outreach and one-on-one enrollment support implemented by core LIFE project partners. Through this effort, LIFE seeks to leverage opportunities presented by this outreach to provide information about access to healthcare for families and make referrals to key family-sustaining programs like adult education/ESOL, housing support, WIC and SNAP. The second objective is to collaborate with CBOs to identify enrollment barriers and continue to develop concrete recommendations to remove barriers, to better work with New York City Department of Education (DOE) officials with the ultimate goal of significantly increasing enrollment long-term through systems change.
Learning Community Goals and Strategic Priorities
During the learning community, the LIFE Project is focusing on the following goals:
1) Empower families to navigate the system to access quality Pre-K and 3-K that meets their needs
2) Conduct culturally fluent outreach
During the learning community, the LIFE Project is focusing on the following specific priorities:
1) Leverage family assets to create effective supports and overcome barriers
2) Advocate for equitable representation by holding DOE accountable
Highlights
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Read the 2018 LIFE Report with findings and recommendations: https://www.nyic.org/2019/04/life-project-report/
For More Information
Liza Schwartzwald
Manager of Education Policy
New York Immigration Coalition
Phone: 212-627-2227, Ext. 255.