Parenting Across Borders

March
23
2011
The DSKM Ethiopian Orthodox Church hopes to help children preserve their culture and excel in US schools. Courtesy of DSKM Education Department

A new country means new opportunities, but the complexities of culture and language can add to the normal challenges of parenting –and education.

In the United States, immigrant and refugee families can struggle to navigate education systems. In Maryland, students come from 182 countries and speak 179 languages. Young-chan Han is a family involvement specialist for the Maryland State Department of Education. She’s worked with more than 3,000 immigrants and refugees, trying to help families understand how schools work in America.

In Washington, D.C.,’s long-standing Ethiopian community, many families look to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to connect their children to the Ethiopian community. Reporter Dereje Desta visits the Re’ese Adbarat Debre Selam Kidest Mariam Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church, which is trying to use language education and tutoring to help parents preserve culture, while improving children’s ability to access education.

Immigrant children often pick up the language of their new country faster than their parents. But this often brings some adult responsibilities. Producers Amy Drozdowska and Hillary Frank bring us this story of a young woman who emigrated from the former Yugoslavia to Chicago when she was only 14.

In Poland, it’s not just immigrants who struggle to fit into the Polish education system. Many Polish families who had migrated to the European Union returned home when the economic crisis hit. Reporter Amy Drozdowska looks at how Poland is helping these returning children reintegrate into Polish language and schools.

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