Dual Language Learners: A National Demographic and Policy Profile
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Highlights
Dual Language Learners (DLLs) make up 32 percent of young children nationally. The U.S. and 30 state fact sheets here offer a sociodemographic sketch of the DLL population.
- The fact sheets here cover the United States and the 30 states with the largest Dual Language Learner (DLL) populations, comparing DLLs to their non-DLL peers.
- More than 11 million children ages 0 to 8 are DLLs—32 percent of the national young child population. And 58 percent live in low-income families, compared with 43 percent of non-Dual Language Learners.
- DLLs enroll in pre-K at a lower rate than non-DLLs (42 versus 48 percent), contributing to kindergarten readiness gaps and achievement disparities that persist into elementary school.
- Policy responsiveness remains uneven: only 22 of 51 jurisdictions track DLL enrollment in state pre-K; just 12 use home language as an eligibility criterion, and only five require teachers to have related qualifications.
Dual Language Learners (DLLs)—those under age 8 with at least one parent who speaks a language other than English at home—make up 32 percent of the U.S. young child population and a growing share of children in most states. While these young learners stand to benefit disproportionately from high-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC), they are less likely than their peers to be enrolled in such programs—potentially contributing to lags in kindergarten readiness and later academic achievement.
The fact sheets in this series offer a sociodemographic sketch of the DLL population (and comparison to non-DLL peers) at both the national level and in the 30 states with the most DLLs, providing data on age and enrollment, race/ethnicity, income and poverty levels, parental English proficiency and educational attainment, and top home languages spoken in DLL households.
The fact sheets also provide an overview of the policies states have introduced to support DLLs and their families in accessing quality ECEC programs, drawing from an MPI survey of state ECEC agencies.
Read the U.S. fact sheet, or access the state fact sheets below:
Table of Contents
I. Demographic Overview of DLLs
II. Looking Beyond Early Childhood: Achievement Gaps between ELs and Non-ELs
III. Early Childhood Education and Care Policies Affecting DLLs
A. System-Level Policies
B. Child Care and Development Fund Usage
C. Home Visiting
D. Pre-K and Early Learning
III. Conclusion
About the National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy
The Center is a national hub connecting policymakers, educators, community leaders, and service providers with evidence-informed policy research, technical assistance, and data to advance effective immigrant integration at U.S., state, and local levels.
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