This study investigated and described the experiences and perspectives of Hispanic immigrant parents on heritage language maintenance and bilingual education in the City of Brandon, Manitoba. Hispanic immigrant parents were interviewed to explore how they perceived and experienced the maintenance of the home language and bilingual education of their children. The study used a qualitative embedded case study methodology (Yin, 2014). Data collection methods included five individual semi-structured interviews and three focus group interviews. Sixteen first-generation Hispanic immigrant parents took part in this study, and they were divided into two subunits of analysis: Colombian, Honduran, and Salvadoran immigrant parents and non-Colombian, Honduran, and Salvadoran immigrant parents. The results of this study reveal that despite the importance that both groups of Hispanic immigrant parents place in their native language as a fundamental core value in their ethnic identity, they perceived a gradual erosion of their children’s home language. Colombian, Salvadoran, and Honduran immigrant parents had more challenges and difficulties in preserving their home language in comparison with Hispanic non-Colombian, Honduran, and Salvadoran immigrant parents. Data suggest that the Colombian, Salvadoran, and Honduran immigrant parents were less aware of the cognitive advantages of bilingualism and heritage language preservation in comparison with the Hispanic non-Colombian, Honduran, and Salvadoran immigrant parents. However, both groups of parents perceived the need to implement heritage and bilingual programs in the school and in the community for supporting their efforts to preserve the home language. Language barriers that parents faced, along with socioeconomic conditions, repercussions of intrafamilial conflicts, separation, and family disruption were factors negatively influencing home language maintenance in children. In summary, this research sought to raise awareness of heritage language maintenance issues that affect the Hispanic immigrants in a rural city of Manitoba. The results confirm that changes in heritage and bilingual policy are needed to support the Hispanic immigrant community in their efforts to maintain the heritage language. Teachers, school personnel, and parents need to develop ‘collaborative power relations’ (Cummins, 2001; Ntelioglou, Fannin, Montanera, and Cummins, 2014) to achieve the outcome of empowering Hispanic immigrant children. Author-supplied keywords: Language maintenance, bilingual education, heritage language, Hispanic immigrants
