About this session

Thursday, 1:40 PM - 3:10 PM

Integrating Latine Family Knowledge in Early STEM Education For Culturally Sustaining Environments

The assets of minoritized families can serve as a valuable resource for culturally responsive learning environments in early education. This symposium explores how Latine families’ knowledge, practical skills, and values support culturally responsive learning in early Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The first study demonstrates how Latine parents of preschool children perceive science in everyday life, revealing that many parents described science as omnipresent and connected to nature and home practices. These insights broaden our understanding of how Latine families conceptualize science, offering critical perspectives for more inclusive science education. The second study highlights a research-practice partnership with 23 preschool educators in a predominantly Latine school district, demonstrating how incorporating families’ funds of knowledge into Science, Technology, and Engineering (STE) experiences enhances educators’ self-efficacy and awareness of the relevance of STE for students. The third study examines Latine families’ engagement in co-designing a technologically enriched computational thinking playground. The findings highlight the potential of using cultural strengths, such as communalism and familism, to create inclusive, technology-driven play spaces that enhance STEM learning for Latine children. The fourth study underscores the importance of recognizing parents as intellectual resources in mathematics education. By engaging parents in classroom visits and culturally relevant tasks, the study reveals how their experiences and knowledge support children’s math learning and foster meaningful family-school partnerships. Together, these studies emphasize the significance of integrating family and home-based knowledge into early STEM education, promoting more inclusive and culturally sustaining environments.

Paper #1
Title	“Todo es ciencia”: Funds of knowledge expressed by Latine parents of preschoolers when defining science
Presenting author	Diana I. Acosta, Ph.D., Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, United States

Paper #2
Title	Enhancing preschool educator self-efficacy by integrating funds of knowledge into science, technology, and engineering experiences
Presenting author	Daniel Ivan Garcia, University of California, Irvine, United States

Paper #3
Title	Transforming STEM Education for Latine children through Funds of Knowledge in a Smart Playground
Presenting author	Isabella T. Seccia, University of California Irvine, United States

Paper #4
Title	Parents as resources: Reaching out to families and learning from them
Presenting author	Fany Salazar, The University of Arizona, United States

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Session chairs
Daniel Ivan Garcia, University of California, Irvine, United States; Isabella T. Seccia, , United States

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