Young Dual Language Learners: Working with Families: Instructors Guide

Activity: Young Dual Language Learners: Working with Families

Objective

Understand the importance of supporting a child’s home language in the classroom and of involving families in decisions about how to support their child’s language development.

DEC Recommended Practices

This Activity addresses the DEC Recommended Practices (DEC-RP) topic areas outlined below:
Family
F1. Practitioners build trusting and respectful partnerships with the family through interactions that are sensitive and responsive to cultural, linguistic, and socio-economic diversity.
F8. Practitioners provide the family of a young child who has or is at risk for developmental delay/disability, and who is a dual language learner, with information about the benefits of learning in multiple languages for the child’s growth and development.
Environment
E1. Practitioners provide services and supports in natural and inclusive environments during daily routines and activities to promote the child’s access to and participation in learning experiences.
E3. Practitioners work with the family and other adults to modify and adapt the physical, social, and temporal environments to promote each child’s access to and participation in learning experiences.

Overview

The families of young dual language learners (DLLs) are an important resource for classroom teachers. Families are a critical partner in helping children to maintain their home language. In addition, teachers can enlist the assistance of families in supporting their classroom learning environments in a variety of ways, including inviting them to share stories, songs, or foods from their culture. Asking families to share materials shows a value and respect for the families and their cultures. Further, if specific linguistic and cultural materials are not readily available, teachers can create these with the help of families using photographs and other materials from the children’s homes.

Activity

The DEC Recommended Practices (DEC-RP) can help families to understand the benefits of maintaining children’s home language as they learn English. Watch the video The Best of Both Worlds: Nurturing Multiple Languages to learn more about helping families understand the benefits of maintaining their home language.

Credit: National Center on Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness (2015). Washington, DC: Office of Head Start.

Questions/Discussion Topics
  1. Why is it important to involve families in decisions about how to support young children’s language development?
    Answers or discussions might include the following:

    • Families and parents influence their child’s educational success and are important partners in facilitating those children’s overall development.
    • Being bilingual is beneficial for children whoa re developing math, logic, and cognitive skills.
    • Involving families is considered best practice across all early childhood settings.
    • Families are advocates for their children’s services from the time they are screened through their transition to kindergarten and beyond.
    • Families are knowledgeable about their children’s skills and abilities in their home language.
    • Young children can learn multiple languages and switch fluently between languages.
    • Maintaining their home language allows children to stay connected to their broader family, community, and culture.
    • Families can promote the use of the home language in the classroom, at home, and in the community.
    • Involving families promotes continuity of services, interventions, and practices between home and school.
  2. What suggestions do you have for working with the families of young DLLs?
    Answers or discussions might include the following:

    • Teachers need to collaborate with all families, including those of young DLLs with disabilities.
    • Teachers need to build trusting and respectful partnerships with families through sensitive and responsive interactions.
    • Practitioners need to provide families with information about the benefits of learning in multiple languages for the child’s growth and development.
    • Teachers need to learn from families.
    • Teachers need to create welcoming environments for families.