Leveraging ESSA Funding for Pre-K Family Engagement to Support Dual Language Learners

The United States has seen hard-won expansions of early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs in recent years. However, most state and local ECEC systems have yet to build sufficient capacities to effectively serve Dual Language Learners (DLLs) and their families, even as the country’s young child population continues to become more linguistically and culturally diverse.

An effective partnership between parents and early childhood educators is essential for all children. For DLLs, it can help ensure that preschool programs support children’s unique language development, in both their home languages and English, as well as their broader learning trajectories. Yet language barriers and cultural misunderstandings can sometimes keep educators and the families of DLLs from forming this partnership.

This policy brief looks at an often-overlooked source of support for family engagement in preschool programs: Title I, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the largest federal investment in schools serving low-income students. It examines both the current role and potential uses of Title I funding to support the engagement of the families of DLLs who are part of this target population.