Guidelines for serving linguistically and culturally diverse young children

Abstract

Demographic trends indicate that all early childhood educators must anticipate and plan for a more linguistically and culturally diverse student population. This article will serve as a guide for creating more effective early childhood programs serving linguistically and culturally diverse young children. The discussion includes demographic trends, second language acquisition research, historical trends in bilingual education, ESL and bilingual programs, controversies, assessment and ESL students, and program recommendations. © 1997 Human Sciences Press, Inc.