Addressing School Connectedness, Belonging, and Culturally Appropriate Care for Newly Immigrated Students and Families.

School connectedness is the degree to which students experience acceptance, inclusion, and care by school personnel and peers. A sense of belonging incorporates an emotional connection to the community. School connectedness and belonging are protective factors that promote student engagement, accomplishment, and community performance. Despite the rise in students from immigrant families in the United States, belonging and connectedness for youth from diverse cultural and linguistic experiences are understudied. School-based nurses, our term, is inclusive of advanced practice pediatric, family, and psychiatric nurse practitioners, are well-positioned to support school connectedness for youth who may encounter hurdles to health care because of cultural and linguistic differences. We present practice suggestions for language, culture, and inclusion using three health conditions experienced by youth: anxiety, asthma, and obesity. School-based nurses and other school personnel who provide linguistic and culturally appropriate care can support students in feeling connected and included in their school communities.

Language Access for Families With Limited English Proficiency: Why Does It Matter?

This manuscript guides school nurses in addressing the unique needs of U.S. school-aged students and families with limited English proficiency (LEP). Owing to the increasing ethnic and racial diversity in U.S. K-12 schools, school nurses will likely encounter children and families with LEP. Students with LEP may be part of a family which immigrated to this country as permanent residents, are refugees, or asylum seekers. Some may be from migrant families who move throughout the region or country for work. School health services, including nursing services, may be the first and only health resource to which these children have consistent access. The availability and importance of language access services are highlighted, as well as tips for school nurses to advocate for language access resources, training for effective communication, understanding the legal landscape, and addressing cultural beliefs that influence health behaviors. Advocacy toward identifying the distinctive needs of families with LEP aims to help school nurses target equitable health outcomes.

School Nurses' Language Needs When Caring for Students from Limited English Proficiency Households.

The number of school-aged students with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds is increasing across the United States. This survey identifies strategies school nurses use for communicating to families with limited English proficiency and describes recommendations to improve language needs. The online survey was completed by K-12 school nurses and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Among the 52 participants, only 23% (n = 12) indicated that resources they were currently using to interpret health information always met their language needs, with the most common resource described as school personnel who can speak the language needed for interpretation. To improve communication, most (73%; n = 38) participants described preferences for in-person resources and estimated that if on-demand interpreter resources were readily available, they would use on-demand resources for approximately 3.6 hours per week. By improving linguistic and cultural competencies among students and families with limited English proficiency, school nurses can improve student health outcomes.