Abstract:

Early childhood programs often serve as Latino children’s first point of contact for learning English. In the District of Columbia, a pilot Pre-Kindergarten (PK) initiative implemented key interventions in community-based pre-kindergarten programs to achieve high quality and increase school readiness among children entering kindergarten. This study evaluated the progress made in English language learning by Latino children who attended PK programs in bilingual language classrooms in community-based sites. Their progress was compared to that of non-Latino children attending PK programs in English language classrooms in community sites. Latino parents’ perceptions of their children’s progress was compared to the children’s assessed progress. Instrumentation included PPVT4 , EVT2, the Creative Curriculum Development Continuum for Early Childhood, and focus group guides with parents. The evidence suggested that PK programming was associated with improved English language skills among Latino children; that English language skills of Latino children attending PK programs in bilingual classrooms grew more rapidly than did such skills among non-Latino children in English-language classrooms; and that Latino parents’ perceptions of their children’s progress was congruent with the results of the assessments and teacher evaluations.

Keywords:

English Language Learning (ELL), Latino, Spanish, Pre-Kindergarten, PPVT4, EVT2, Creative Curriculum.