Supporting our Earliest Learners Alieza Durana and Am aya Garcia - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Supporting our Earliest Learners

Alieza Durana and Am aya Garcia New Am erica

Current Reality: Care in Maryland

Nora’s Story

The Perfect Storm YouTube Link: https:/ / goo.gl/ Je31EF

Dual Language Learners

• DLLs are children

between the ages of birth to 8 who are in the process of learning English while still developing proficiency in their home languages.

A Growing Part of the Early Childhood Population

• Around one in five American students speaks a language other than

English at home

• 30 percent of Head Start children are DLLs and as are 23 percent of

three-and-four-year olds in the United States

• In Montgomery County, 40 percent of residents over the age of 5

speak a language other than English at home. 13 percent of MCPS students are English learners who represent 164 countries and 184 languages

Best Practices for DLLs

• Participation in high quality ECE programs is especially impactful

for DLLs

• Overwhelming support from early education and care researchers

and advocates on promoting the use of DLLs home language in all care settings

• Strong emphasis on oral language development
• Attention to the role of culture and early language experiences
• Scaffold DLLs learning using common modifications (e.g. visuals,

explicit vocabulary instruction, authentic learning experiences)

Spotlight: Strategies for Supporting DLLs

Home Languages

• Bilingual instruction is not always possible
• To support home language:

– Read books in the child’s home language – Create books that include words in the home language – Teach letters and numbers in home language – Label activity centers, furniture and parts of the room in both English and home languages – Use parents or community volunteers to help provide activities in the home language

Workforce Considerations

• DLLs are enrolled in informal care at higher rates than non-DLLs
• There are clear divisions in the linguistic diversity of the early

care and education workforce

• Need to ensure that all care providers are given professional

development and learning opportunities on how to support DLLs early language, cognitive and socio-emotional development

How Educators in Fresno, CA Are Working Together to Support DLLs YouTube Link: https:/ / goo.gl/ S1AKPe

Discussion Questions

• What are some early care challenges in Montgomery County? How

does that vary for DLLs? By race and class?

• What are promising programs and approaches that you have seen

being implemented in the county?

• What role should your local government play in setting up policies

that are responsive to the increasing linguistic diversity of children in the county?

• What issues need to be addressed with training and preparation of

the early care workforce?