Are States Recognizing and Responding to the Needs of Their Dual Language Learner Children?

Dual Language Learners (DLLs) now make up nearly one-third of all children ages 8 and under in the United States. Despite many strengths that these young children and their parents possess, the DLL population faces significant risk factors. And although DLLs stand to benefit disproportionately from high-quality early learning opportunities, they are significantly less likely than their native, English-only peers to be enrolled in pre-K programs.

The Migration Policy Institute’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy released a set of state and national demographic and policy profiles to highlight characteristics of DLLs and their families and the policy context they encounter in state early childhood education and care (ECEC) systems. This series, with profiles for the United States and 30 states, aims to provide stakeholders with an understanding of the substantial and growing DLL population across the United States and the level of program and policy responsiveness by states to the needs of these young children.

On this webinar, MPI analysts outline key findings from the national demographic and policy profile and discuss their implications for ECEC programs and systems that seek to provide equitable access and quality for DLLs and support them in building a strong foundation for their future success.

Speakers:

Maki Park, Policy Analyst and Program Coordinator, Migration Policy Institute

Julie Sugarman, Policy Analyst, MPI

Marlene Zepeda, Professor Emerita, California State University, Los Angeles

Moderators:

Margie McHugh, Director, National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, MPI