Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/capitalizing-on-the-strengths-and-contributions-of-multilingual-families/5021355/
Young children learn from their everyday social experiences and interactions with their parents, siblings, community members, and the media. Studies with young children have shown that early language experiences are crucial for supporting literacy development. These experiences, with language input from parents and other primary caregivers, are predictive of literacy development in kindergarten (August & Shanahan, 2006; Snow & Tabors, 1993). Other factors, such as phonological awareness and vocabulary development, contribute and correlate positively with literacy development. However, additional factors, such as family literacy practices with infants and toddlers, at home, before children begin formal schooling, must be explored to further our understanding of their early literacy development and their families’ funds of knowledge (González, Moll, & Amanti, 2005; Souto-Manning, 2013). Early childhood educators in particular could benefit from understanding the practices related to multilingual development and literacy that are used by immigrant parents and children who are learning English as a second or third language. In order to provide continuous support for the educational progress of immigrant children, we must try to bridge the cultures between home and school (Dantas & Manyak, 2010).What happens to literacy development when a child is exposed to two languages when they are young? In ...