Welcome to the English Language Learners Bulletin

Vietnamese, Hmong, Chinese, Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Russian, Tagalog, and American Sign Language. These are but a few of the languages spoken by today’s Head Start children and families. Our extended Head Start family has evolved from a program that, in its early years, served a population of English language learners who were primarily Spanish speaking, to the current cultural representation that includes over 140 languages!

As Associate Commissioner of the Head Start Bureau, I’m delighted to introduce this Head Start Bulletin, which offers a wealth of essential information about English language learners. It includes articles about research-based instructional strategies that support first and second language acquisition. There also are descriptions of Head Start programs that successfully serve diverse populations. Parents, program managers, Head Start Bureau staff, and family literacy partners share first-hand accounts of their experiences in serving the dynamic diversity of English language learners in Head Start.

This Bulletin is the latest in a series of efforts the Head Start Bureau has made over the years to support English language learners. The Head Start Program Performance Standards, first published in 1972, require that classroom environments be structured to help each child build ethnic pride and that home languages are supported. In 2002, the English Language Learners Focus Group was convened in Washington, D.C. to discuss and make recommendations about effective approaches with diverse populations in Head Start. Additionally, the new Head Start Leaders Guide to Positive Child Outcomes provides research-based strategies that promote the progress of English language learners in all areas of learning and development.

The National Head Start Hispanic Institute, held in Albuquerque, New Mexico from January 31- February 4, 2005, represents another commitment of the Head Start Bureau to provide knowledge and tools that programs need to provide effective, culturally appropriate services to English language learners. Since I have been Associate Commissioner, a number of efforts have been made to provide improved services to our growing number of Hispanic staff and families. At our conferences, Spanish interpreters are available (as they are for American Sign Language), publications are printed in Spanish, including the invaluable Building Blocks for Father Involvement, and the recent Parent Mentor Training has been offered to Spanish speakers.

As you begin to read this Bulletin, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and honor your dedication to English language learners and their families. The Head Start Bureau embraces the cultural and language diversity of our extended family and values this diversity as a tremendous resource for our programs as well as for our nation.

Windy M. Hill was named Associate Commissioner of the Head Start Bureau on January 7, 2002.