Day care needed

Day care use is up, but a study recently released by the U.S. Department of Education revealed a widening gap between the time Latino preschoolers spend in day-care centers (15 percent spend part of their week at a center) versus that of Caucasian children (28 percent) and African-American children (29 percent).

Latinos historically have a preference for leaving their children with family members. Experts say this practice is especially prevalent among newly arrived immigrants who have limited English-speaking skills.

The preference can be attributed to the lack of centers in Latino neighborhoods. A study organized in part by the Policy Analysis for California Education Center discovered that California's Latino neighborhoods have 50 percent fewer preschool slots than comparable African American and Caucasian neighborhoods.

The situation in California demands the most attention. According to the U.S. Census, it educates 35 percent of the nation's 4 million Latino preschoolers. Latino-friendly centers with bilingual employees and affordable rates need to be established in Latino neighborhoods.

Children with preschool educations have an advantage when starting elementary school. Latino children should not suffer the consequences of missing a valuable part of their education because a center was not available.

More centers will allow Latino parents to have better oppotunities for jobs.