Immigrant Workers in Early Childcare and Education Pursuing Higher Education

Abstract

What are immigrant childcare educators’ perspectives on navigating the different stages towards obtaining a college degree? How do they narrate the role of their multifaceted identities in navigating unique challenges and enacting assets towards obtaining a college degree? Even with a shortage of childcare workers, individuals with post-secondary credentials are highly sought after to increase the quality of early childhood education. Many childcare workers are first-generation immigrants, but there is lack of research on their perspective in this field. By critically analyzing interviews and program documents, I found that immigrant childcare workers’ multifaceted identities guided three key commonalities: their differing roles as a parent, educator, and student, their position on receiving government and school aid, and finally, their motivation to support their own goals, children, and other families in need.