From Generation to Generation: The Health and Well-Being of Children in Immigrant Families

Immigrant children and youth are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, and so their prospects bear heavily on the well-being of the country. However, relevant public policy is shaped less by informed discussion than by politicized contention over welfare reform and immigration limits. From Generation to Generation explores what we know about the development of white, black, Hispanic, and Asian children and youth from numerous countries of origin. Describing the status of immigrant children and youth as severely understudied, the committee both draws on and supplements existing research to characterize the current status and outlook of immigrant children. The book discusses the many factors - family size, fluency in English, parent employment, acculturation, delivery of health and social services, and public policies - that shape the outlook for the lives of these children and youth. The committee makes recommendations for improved research and data collection designed to advance knowledge about these children and, as a result, their visibility in current policy debates.