Language development and early education of young Hispanic children in the United States

The majority of young Hispanic children (ages 0-8 years) in the US (75%) are influenced at some level by Spanish in the home—some 5 million Hispanic children making up one-fifth of the total US population in this age bracket. Considering the size of the young Hispanic child population being raised in multilingual environments, it is critical that researchers, policymakers, and practitioners address basic questions related to language, culture, cognition, and educational opportunity for this population. This paper provides a synthesis of empirical work that spans several decades and conceptual frameworks associated with the linguistic development and the early education of young Hispanic children in the United States. Linguistic, psycholinguistic, anthropological, psychological, sociological and educational contributions which underscore research and practice are reviewed. Emphasis is placed on theoretical and empirical work associated with educational concerns—including teacher competencies, instructional strategies, curricular content, programs, and related policy. In accordance with the literature reviewed, authors offer a set of empirically-grounded practice and policy recommendations for parties involved in the early education (PK-3) of these children.