Could immigrants be the solution to the child care shortage?

[Global Nation] 'There's a need for workers who have the cultural and language skills to serve the population of children that we have.' America faces a shortage of early childhood teachers. It’s due, in part, to chronically low wages for a job that is often stressful — making it difficult to recruit, train and retain these workers. At the same time, public and private early-learning centers are strengthening their minimum qualification requirements for preschool and daycare educators. Those higher standards are making it harder to fill open positions. Mt. Hood Community College in Portland aims to fill some of the gap in Oregon by tailoring credentialing courses to the needs of immigrants, who comprise nearly one in five early-childhood educators in the US. “It’s sort of like a ramp that you can get onto … to get where you want to go in your professional development,” said Carmen Ellis, training manager at the Mt. Hood Child Care Resource & Referral. “There’s an amazing amount of jargon and lingo and terminology that you have to figure out, and part of what our program does is break that down for people.” [Early childhood education is critical, but limited. In Oregon, immigrant teachers could be the solution.]( SUPPORT GLOBAL NATION Do you value our coverage of immigration and immigrant communities in the United States? [Make a gift]( to support our work now, and your donation will be doubled thanks to the NewsMatch campaign. Donate [here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Plus, here are a few more stories you might have missed: [With Congress passing the buck, DACA lands before Supreme Court]( The US Supreme Court on Tuesday heard oral arguments that will determine the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The World explores which way the justices could rule — and what the outcomes could mean for DACA recipients. [These sisters both had DACA. One took matters into her own hands.]( As the Supreme Court hears arguments around the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, some DACA recipients are not waiting to see how the justices will rule. One woman moved to Canada in search of stability. [After Trump order, states scramble to say they will receive refugees]( Under the terms of an executive order, refugees may not be able to keep arriving without affirmative consent from cities and states. [Despite hateful social media attacks, local voters elect Muslim American candidates]( Muslim American candidates across the country are celebrating wins in races for city councils, school boards and state legislatures — a few in traditionally Republican areas. But the candidates often pay a price. Thanks for joining us! — Marnette Federis, education editor [GlobalNation FB]( [Global Nation Twitter]( [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( Global Nation is a part of PRI - Public Radio International.