The goal is to design services for ELLs that meet the standards AND respond to your programs unique situation.
by Michele Plutro
This Bulletin reminds us that every year, Head Start programs are steadily increasing in the number of enrolled families and children whose home language is other than English, as well as in the number of languages spoken. Fortunately, Head Start has a long, rich history of serving culturally and linguistically diverse populations, as well as strong programmatic requirements in the Head Start Program Performance Standards to ensure a high quality program for all children and families.
In fact, there are over 20 standards in the Program Performance Standards that specifically refer to the home language, the learning of English, or the cultural background of families and children. The standards require programs to address the needs of English language learners (ELLs) and their families. These requirements cut across multiple service areas: Child Health and Developmental Services; Education and Early Childhood Development; Child Nutrition; Family Partnerships; Management Systems and Procedures; Human Resources Management; and Facilities, Materials, and Equipment.
More specifically, the Program Performance Standards require that programs:
- provide an environment of acceptance that supports and respects gender, culture, language, ethnicity, and family composition;
- serve foods that reflect cultural and ethnic preferences;
- communicate with families in their preferred or primary language or through an interpreter, to the extent feasible;
- hire staff, whenever possible, who speak the home languages of infants and toddlers, and when a majority of children speak the same language, hire at least one classroom staff member or home visitor who speaks their language; and
- promote family participation in literacy-related activities in both English and the home languages.
Other standards play important supportive roles in creating successful and responsive program services for all children, including ELLs and their families.
The Program Performance Standards tell us what to do, but not how to implement. They help us understand what the requirements for each service area are, but they do not limit how we are to meet these requirements. For example, each Head Start program still determines how to address the requirements for community partnerships, the transition of children to elementary school, the family partnership agreements, and ongoing assessment.
What are the advantages of being bilingual? A review of research (Augusta & Hakuta 1997) indicates that bilingual children often have higher levels of cognitive achievement than monolingual children.
Excerpt from Phillip C. Gonzales, Becoming Bilingual: First and Second Language Acquisition (http://www.headstartinfo.org/English_lang_learners_tkit.htm)
The same is true for the required services to families and children learning English. Each program must continue to determine the most effective ways to communicate with the children and families they serve, to support home languages, and to help children learn English.
However, the Guidance accompanying each standard offers examples and illustrations of how to implement the standard. Other suggestions about putting the standards into action appear in this issue of the Bulletin, in other Head Start publications including the Head Start Leaders Guide to Positive Child Outcomes, and in Web-based resources, such as STEP-Net.
When some Head Start programs discuss services for English language learners, they say they dont know what to do and dont know where to start. First, they need to become very familiar with the Program Performance Standards and the accompanying Guidance. Then, they can take a close look at their English language learners and their families, their staff, and their community resources. The goal is to design services for ELLs that meet the standards and also respond to the programs unique situation.
In fact, many Head Start programs around the nation have successfully determined how to meet the requirements of the Program Performance Standards. They report that children whose primary language is other than English are making progress in all areas of learning and development. Many families recognize that the Head Start program has effectively supported their home language and helped them and their children learn English. Recent demographic data from the National Reporting System and the Child and Family Experiences Survey (FACES) provide evidence of Head Starts reach in serving diverse populations.
This is not to suggest that Head Start has done it all or done enough for ELLs and their families. We are still identifying best practices at the classroom and administrative levels; we are still considering how to provide training and resources to teachers, home visitors, and other staff; we are still cultivating community partners who will help us meet the needs of families. Our charge is to do what we are required to do, to provide the best services possible, to look for ways to improve what we are doing, and to implement changes to ensure positive outcomes for Head Start children and their families. Let us take even greater advantage of the local design and implementation flexibility that characterizes effective Head Start programs.
Each time we reflect on the evolution of Head Start, as well as the services designed and delivered, we should be struck by our demonstrated capacity to collectively deal with change and to embrace diversity. This current area of demand, indicated by the increasing numbers of ELLs and the variety of languages in our programs, should showcase our collective strengths. As we move forward at the local and the national levels to serve our richly diverse Head Start population, let us agree to be early childhood leaders, innovators, and open learners.
Michele Plutro is the Educational Affairs Specialist in the Office of the Associate Commissioner at the Head Start Bureau. T: 202-205-8912;
E: mplutro@acf.hhs.gov online
For more information on Head Start, visit our site at www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ohs
See also:
Dual Language Learners