1. Chapter 2: Preschool English Learners, Their Families and Their Communities

2. Training Outcomes
Become familiar with English learner demographics and the impact on early childhood education
Heighten awareness of the immigrant experience
Become familiar with “language registers”
Begin to think about ways to connect home and school languages
Briefly go over the outcomes for this section of the training.

3. The English Learner First language is not English
Learning English for the first time
Various levels of English proficiency
PLF, Vol. 1, p. 103
Clarify who California classifies as a preschool English learner:
Children whose first language is not English
Children learning English for the first time
Children who have developed various levels of English proficiency
Rivera and Collum, 2006
To explain why the terms English learner and dual language learner are both used to describe preschool age children:
The term English learner is commonly used in K–12 (kindergarten through grade twelve) schools to identify children who speak a language other than English at home and are not yet proficient in English. However, preschoolers with a home language other than English are often a distinct group, since they are still developing the basics of oral language in their home language even as they begin to learn English. Therefore, many preschool programs choose to use the term dual language learners (DLLs) to describe children who are learning English while also developing proficiency in their native language (Severns 2012).
Claude Goldenberg, Karen Nemeth, Judy Hicks, Marlene Zepeda, and Luz Marina Cardona, “Program Elements and Teaching Practices to Support Young Dual Language Learners,” in California’s Best Practices for Young Dual Language Learners: Research Overview Papers, ed. Faye Ong and John McLean, in cooperation with Cecelia Fisher-Dahms (Sacramento, CA: Department of Education, 2013), 91.

4. Demographic Trends: California and English Learners
Demographic Trends (1 minute)
Highlight the fact that the majority of the increase in English learners is coming from families who already reside in California. Immigration accounts for only about 5% of the annual increase.
If needed, add current state demographics of English learners to the PowerPoint:
Go to
Click on DataQuest live link
Select from first drop down menu, “state”
Select from second drop down menu, “English Learners”
Click the “Submit” button
Select “Time Series - Number of English Learners” which already comes in a graph format that can be easily inserted into a PowerPoint presentation
Discuss why the percentage has dropped recently (see current articles on demographic trends statewide and locally).

5. English Learners in Santa Clara County
When possible, add local demographics of English learners to the PowerPoint:
Going to
Click on DataQuest live link
Select from first drop down menu, “county or district”
Select from second drop down menu, “English Learners”
Click the “Submit” button
Select the county or district (and most recent school year) for which you’d like demographic information
Select “Number of English Learners by Language” from drop down menu
Create an Excell sheet with the top 5 languages from the first column on Kindergartners
Create a pie chart with this information and label accordingly
Insert finished chart into your copy of the training PowerPoint presentation

6. Think about…
How can we make sure English-language learners can access our early childhood curriculum?
How can we help children maintain their home language(s) and culture while they learn English?
How can we build on children’s home language as a foundation upon which to build English fluency?
Review and discuss the implications of recent demographic trends.
Tell participants that we will be discussing these questions as we move through the rest of the chapters.

7. The Immigrant Experience

8. My First School Experience
After the visualization journey, take a couple of minutes to share your first school experience and capture whether it was:
An exciting and positive experience
A difficult and challenging experience
A combination of both positive and negative experiences
Parallels to Participants’ First Day in School (12 minutes)
Guide participants in recalling or visualizing their first school experience. Facilitator can dim the lights, have participants close their eyes, and suggest that they remember how they felt as they anticipated and prepared for their first school experience. They should focus on remembering getting dressed, leaving home, meeting the teacher, and being introduced to other children. Ask participants, “What did it feel like? What do you remember about your first school experience?” For those who cannot remember their experience, they can recall their child’s experience, or the experience of a niece, nephew, relative, or neighbor.
Have participants pair up and share their first school experiences with one another.
Often, participants share specifics about what their teacher did to make them feel welcome and to convey that school was a safe and engaging environment. This opens a door for exploring whether these details are in place in the classrooms that will be discussed in the following slides.

9. Read Aloud: Defining the Immigrant Experience (1 minute)
The experience of leaving one’s home country and moving to a new country.
For families and children it can be:
An exciting and positive experience
A difficult and challenging experience
A combination of both positive and negative experiences
Read Aloud: Defining the Immigrant Experience (1 minute)
Read aloud the definition of the immigrant experience from this slide and ask participants to consider possible connections to their first school experiences. For example, families have a variety of feelings and experiences with their move to a new country.
Some participants and/or trainers may share their own immigrant experience, or the experiences of the children in their program.

10. Personalizing the Immigrant or Newcomer Experience
Consider the following questions:
Does someone greet every child and family personally?
Do the adults gently guide the children into understanding the routine and classroom rules of behavior?
Is every child made to feel welcome, regardless of home language, country of origin, socioeconomic status, etc.?
If all of the above are in place, what is the specific evidence? If they are not, what steps could be taken?
Comment on the crucial role a teacher plays in helping children feel welcome and safe as they enter a new and unfamiliar environment and meet adults and children who may speak a different language.

11. Language Registers A Child’s World Parents Siblings Friends
Other relatives
Teacher
Specialist
Visitors
Mini-Lecture & Definitions: Connecting School and Home Language and Language Registers (8 minutes)
Young children use their language(s) for different social and cognitive purposes.
Language registers refer to different forms of the same language used with certain people or in certain situations.
Because of the changing demographics, children are exposed to a lot of different languages in their lives. Point out that children learn to use language(s) in different ways from all of the people they communicate with in their daily activities.

12. Formal Language Register
The formal register is used by children to speak to parents, elders, and teachers.
Examples:
“Once upon a time, I lived in an egg… Nobody could see me.”
“Pass the crackers, please.”
Callanan, Coto, Miranda, Striffler, Allen, Crandall, & Murphy “Contextualizing Curriculum with Children’s Questions and Family Stories.” In Classroom Diversity: Connecting Curriculum to Students’ Lives. Heineman. p. 68

13. Informal Language Register
The informal register is used by children on the playground, with siblings and friends, at home, and in the neighborhood.
Example: Child A: You be the wolf.
Child B: Okay. You put on the cape.
Adapted from: Ashworth & Wakefield. (2004). Teaching the World’s Children: ESL for Ages Three to Seven. Ontario; Pippin Publishers. p. 57

14. Academic English— The Language of School
The language of books used at school.
The language of school as spoken by teachers, administrators, and many children.
Will be addressed further in chapter 5 of the PEL Resource Guide.

15. Let’s Practice Leah wants a turn to paint.
How might she ask her cousin at home for a turn using an “informal language register”?
How might she ask a teacher at school for a turn using a “formal language register”?
At your table, come up with one more example of informal language, and one more example of formal language.
Be ready to share out.
This activity will help participants to process the concept of language registers.
Model by doing the first example with the large group.
Then give tables 2 or 3 minutes to come up with two additional examples of formal and informal language. Guide them to page 17 of the PEL Resource Guide, the Varieties of Language, to use as a reference if needed.
After the activity, point out that you will return to the concept of language registers, and give more attention to social and academic English, in chapter 5.

16. Summary
Children and adults use different forms of language every day (formal, informal, social, and academic).
Young English learners are learning when, and with whom, to use the appropriate language registers.
Both children and adults use different registers to speak to certain people or in certain situations. The register we use with friends may differ from the one we use with family, teachers, and professionals. All of the registers are valuable.
We need to make sure that we partner and collaborate with families in order to serve those people. Move away from the deficit model and find out who children communicate and interact with. For instance, a child might be playing on a sports team and interacting with several different cultures and languages. Their communities might be quite diverse.

17. Connecting School and the Home Language
Families are at differing levels of awareness about English language acquisition.
Some families are addressing children’s disabilities in addition to English language acquisition.
Teachers foster communication between home and school by helping children develop a working vocabulary in the home language to talk about school activities.
At this time, we will move from focusing primarily on the child, to examining family and community language practices and looking at ways to form strong connections between those practices and school practices.
Ask the group, “What if the parent is an English learner?”
Guide the participants in recognizing parents’ strengths in communicating with their children in their stronger language.

18. Who is Johnny?
Consider that names of children and family members are important ways of making connections to children and their families.
Discuss with an elbow partner one of the following topics:
The origin of your name, its significance, or how it was chosen
How you chose names for your children
Who is Johnny? (5 minutes) (Optional slide, optional activity. Use as time permits)
Read Handouts 2A.1 and 2A.2: “Who Is Johnny?” Depending on the group of participants, the facilitator may choose to read the poem in English, Spanish (¿Quien es Johnny?), or both. Also, trainers who are comfortable translating the poem into another language are encouraged to do so.
Point out that the names of children and family members present important ways for making connections to children and their families. Experiences with people’s names in the titles are important for young children. The permission or license to use an ‘alternate’ name should come from the child and/or family. Also, many teachers may find the name Juan simple to pronounce and so you can point out other more challenging names, such as Eustaquio, Laurenio, Bakalian (last name), and draw examples from the participants as well. It is very valuable for them to see their name in print, especially if their names are uncommon. Some examples are, My Name is Yoon by Helen Recorvitz, and Diego by Jonah Winter. 18

19. Fostering Communication
Strong connections between DLL families and schools are associated with important benefits for preschool-age and school-age children (Durand 2011; Fantuzzo et al. 2004; Jeynes 2012; Lin 2003).
Linda Halgunseth, Gisela Jia, and Oscar Barbarin, “Family Engagement in Early Childhood Programs: Serving Families of Dual Language Learners,” in California’s Best Practices for Young Dual Language Learners: Research Overview Papers, ed. Faye Ong and John McLean, in cooperation with Cecelia Fisher-Dahms (Sacramento, CA: Department of Education, 2013), 121.
This can be used as a partner, table, or whole group activity to discuss ways that the participants foster communication. Solicit one idea from each table.
Between you and families
Between children and their families

20. Cultural Context of Learning
When the home language and culture are viewed as assets and resources, it becomes the foundation for enhanced learning.
PCF, Vol.1, p. 185
Preschool children who are English learners need targeted classroom support, intentional focus on vocabulary development and English language and literacy development, and close collaboration with families. At the same time, the home language and culture are to be respected, honored, and supported. PCF, Vol.1, p. 185
When the culture of the school and the culture of the family come into contact with each other, they influence and change each other…optimal learning for DLLs occurs when there is a strong, harmonious partnership between DLL families and ECE programs, which includes the consideration and incorporation of the DLL culture and language in program planning.
Linda Halgunseth, Gisela Jia, and Oscar Barbarin, “Family Engagement in Early Childhood Programs: Serving Families of Dual Language Learners,” in California’s Best Practices for Young Dual Language Learners: Research Overview Papers, ed. Faye Ong and John McLean, in cooperation with Cecelia Fisher-Dahms (Sacramento, CA: Department of Education, 2013), 129.

21. Principle 1—The Practices
At your table, create a chart of the ways you already implement the practices listed on page 16 of the resource guide. Or
Look at the practices on page 16. Place a checkmark next to those things you already do, a question mark next to practices you want to learn more about, and a plus sign next to the things you consider to be current program strengths.
There are two options for this processing activity. Please edit the slide as needed.
Option one: Ask individual tables to create a shared list (via chart or handout) of the ways they already implement the practices listed for principle 1 on page 16.
Option two: Looking at the practices on page 16, guide individuals to place a checkmark next to things they already do, a question mark next to practices they want to learn more about, and plus sign next to the things they consider to be current program strengths.

22. Key Points Demographic trends impact practices at the preschool level.
Teachers should be sensitive to the diversity of the immigration experience.
Key Points (5 minutes)
Briefly review the key points addressed in this presentation.

23. Key Points (continued)
Families are valued contributors to their child’s education.
Teachers should recognize and respect families’ language beliefs and practices.

24. Key Points (continued)
Children’s language-rich environments might include both the home language (formal and informal registers), and English.

25. Reflection
Turn to page 18 in the PEL Resource Guide and take the time to answer question four on your Reflection handout:
How do I show the children and their families that I value their home language?
Refer participants to Handout 2B

26. Four-Year-Olds in CA 11% enrolled in federally funded Head Start
17% enrolled in State-Funded Preschool
Nearly 40% of those enrolled in Head Start or State-Funded Preschool are English learners
Claude Goldenberg, Karen Nemeth, Judy Hicks, Marlene Zepeda, and Luz Marina Cardona, “Program Elements and Teaching Practices to Support Young Dual Language Learners,” in California’s Best Practices for Young Dual Language Learners: Research Overview Papers, ed. Faye Ong and John McLean, in cooperation with Cecelia Fisher-Dahms (Sacramento, CA: Department of Education, 2013), 91.
In California, 50 percent of four-year-olds are children of immigrant parents, and 20 percent of these children live in linguistically isolated households (Cannon, Jacknowitz, and Karoly 2012).
Linda Halgunseth, Gisela Jia, and Oscar Barbarin, “Family Engagement in Early Childhood Programs: Serving Families of Dual Language Learners,” in California’s Best Practices for Young Dual Language Learners: Research Overview Papers, ed. Faye Ong and John McLean, in cooperation with Cecelia Fisher-Dahms (Sacramento, CA: Department of Education, 2013), 122.
California’s four-year-olds:
11% enrolled in federally funded Head Start
17% enrolled in State-Funded Preschool
Nearly 40% of those enrolled in Head Start or State-Funded Preschool are English learners
Claude Goldenberg, Karen Nemeth, Judy Hicks, Marlene Zepeda, and Luz Marina Cardona, “Program Elements and Teaching Practices to Support Young Dual Language Learners,” in California’s Best Practices for Young Dual Language Learners: Research Overview Papers, ed. Faye Ong and John McLean, in cooperation with Cecelia Fisher-Dahms (Sacramento, CA: Department of Education, 2013), 91.
To best meet the needs of our preschool English learners, we must understand the context in which they live. As we explore this chapter we will develop a deeper understanding of the immigrant experience and how this may impact the experiences of the children in our care.

27. Characteristics of Family Engagement
Joint decision-making
Regular two-way communication
Collaboration and exchange of knowledge
Learning in home and community
Joint family-program goal setting
Professional development
This slide may be used to debrief the activity on slide 21. Participants may be asked to think about the strategies they discussed and how they fit within a family engagement framework.
Weiss, Bouffard, Bridglall, and Gordon (2009) have defined family engagement as the promotion of shared responsibility
between families and educational programs that continue across the child’s life span and encompass multiple settings…
Linda Halgunseth, Gisela Jia, and Oscar Barbarin, “Family Engagement in Early Childhood Programs: Serving Families of Dual Language Learners,” in California’s Best Practices for Young Dual Language Learners: Research Overview Papers, ed. Faye Ong and John McLean, in cooperation with Cecelia Fisher-Dahms (Sacramento, CA: Department of Education, 2013),123.
Halgunseth et al. (2009) developed a definition of family engagement in which the following six characteristics are inherent:
Joint decision-making: families and programs participate equally in child-related decisions (e.g. feeding schedules)
Regular two-way communication: families and programs consistently share and listen to information shared. Such information may include but is not limited to daily challenges and successes.
Collaboration and exchange of knowledge: families and programs discuss and work together the understand children’s abilities and learning styles.
Learning in home and in the community: families and programs maximize learning and application across multiple contexts include school, home and community. Learning may include new concepts and/or English labels for concepts.
Joint family-program goal setting: families and programs work together to develop and agree upon learning goals for dual language learners.
Professional development: Programs create an ongoing, comprehensive professional development system to help teachers engage DLL families in children’s learning across school, home and community settings