Language competency is crucial to children’s schoo l success. Planned Language Approach (PLA) ensures that decisions about program policies, curriculum, and instruction are based on key language development research, prenatal to adult. PLA also takes into consideration the vast cultural and linguistic diversity of children in the United States, as reflected in Early Head Start and Head Start enrollments.

Language is one of the most important gifts you give your child. But how do you give it? The answer is simple. Speak your language with your child at home every day!

Here are eight things you can do every day to help your child learn your family’s language and become successful in school!

The easiest, most important thing is for parents and family members to use their home language every day. Many families worry that using their home language will confuse their children or make it more difficult for them to learn English. Help parents understand that children can learn more than one language at the same time.

This baseline tool is one aspect of the work that OHS is doing in partnership with the Office of Child Care to understand the current capacity of the EHS-CCP grantees and their partners and to identify technical assistance or other supports needed .

The purpose of the National American Indian/Alaska Native Head Start Collaboration Office (NAIANHSCO) is to create statewide partnerships and foster working coalitions among all groups that support the AI/AN Head Start grantee population. As directed by the “Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007” (Public Law 110-134), this office has facilitated the improvement and expansion of services to low-income children in Head Start, as well as built linkages between local, state, regional, and national early childhood initiatives and policies. This allows us to facilitate more coordinated approaches to planning and service delivery for AI/AN Head Start communities.