Emmy Liss says multilingual programs benefit all children

All children deserve access to rich early learning environments that honor and celebrate their heritage and support their growth, no matter what language they speak at home.

We are also blessed as a city with thousands of early childhood educators who speak languages other than English in their classrooms and programs, allowing children of all backgrounds to feel a sense of belonging and to thrive.

Creating early childhood education environments that support and encourage multilingual learning benefits all children.

I know this from research and evidence.

I also share this from experience.

Last year, my son was enrolled in one of the city's pre-K Spanish dual language programs.

As a child coming from an English-speaking home, he had a chance to learn with and from his peers who came from Spanish-speaking homes.

I saw the ways in which the children learned from each other and saw each other's language skills as an asset and a strength.

All of the parents in the classroom were able to engage with the educators and with the day-to-day lessons, regardless of which language we spoke at home.

I know the benefits that I saw are not unique to my son's experience alone and represent what many families and educators experience every day.