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EARLY EDUCATION
AND DUAL
LANGUAGE
LEARNERSPresented by the Early Childhood Education Division
Who is considered a DLL
Dual Language Learners (DLLs) are “children learning two (or more) languages at the same time, as well as those learning a second language while continuing to develop their first (or home) language”
office of Head Start, 2008
http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/resabout/ecell/earlyyears.pdf
Key Concepts
Young children are capable of learning more
than one language and must be supported in
all the languages they are learning to achieve
competence
Collaboration among families and early
childhood educators promotes children’s
optimal language development in the home
language and in English, as well as their
development and learning in all areas
Key Concepts continued
Dual-language learners from birth through age
five are developing a foundation in their home
language and English at the same time.
Language and literacy development are
essential and foundational for development
and learning
A multilingual environment is a positive
learning environment for children and adults
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human
Services and the U.S. Dept. of
Education
Early childhood programs should be prepared to
optimize the early experiences young children by
holding high expectations
capitalizing on their strengths- including cultural
and linguistic strengths
providing them with the individualized
developmental and learning supports necessary to
succeed in school.
DLL Joint Policy Statement, July 2016
A few facts from their report.
Over half of the world’s population is estimated to be
bilingual or multilingual. Research indicates that
supporting bilingualism from early ages can have wide
ranging benefits, from cognitive and social
advantages early in life, to long term employment
opportunities and competitiveness in the world.
- Callahan & Gándara, (2014).
Language Development of Very
Young Children Supports we can offer young children who are DLLs in early
learning contexts will prepare them for school and
promote their academic achievement.
High-quality, intentional, and consistent exposure to the
home language and to English can set children on a
positive trajectory toward school success and bilingualism,
a desirable trait in the job market.
Language growth in bilingual children is associated with
the quality and quantity of language exposure they
experience in each language. “Language exposure” is
directing speech to children through reading, singing, or
talking.
DLLs and participation in High-
Quality Early Childhood
Programs
Benefits and achievement gap reduction
positive trajectory that reduces the need for more costly
interventions later in life.
Children from low-income families who attend high-quality early learning programs show more advanced skills in a
variety of developmental domains upon kindergarten entry, compared to peers from similar backgrounds that did not
attend such programs.
children who are DLLs, particularly those who are less proficient in English, may benefit more from participation in
high-quality early learning programs relative to their peers.
What is our vision?
Creating students who are proud of their heritage.
Building students who are bilingual and bi-literate so
they are prepared for kindergarten.
A classroom and school climate that is respectful of
each child and family, embraces diversity, and
assumes that every child and family has strengths that
can be built on
An early education division that has a deep
understanding of the population of young children who
are DLLs.
Next steps
Part of the district’s Strategic Plan
On-going collaboration and communication with
district partners
Identifying potential schools
ADKAR (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability,
Reinforcement)
Pedagogical training on language acquisition for
teachers
Expectations and Implementation steps
Curriculum continuity within early education programs
Return with an implementation timeline, IOC, and a BI
