Developing Authentic Partnerships with Families of Dual Language Learners

The Early Care and Education Department (ECE) of the Office of the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools (FCSS) will offer four (4) professional learning modules on developing authentic partnerships with families of dual language learners. FCSS-ECE will utilize lessons learned from our preschool program at the Lighthouse for Children Child Development Center (LFC CDC), which provides home language support for dual language learners and has a dual language preschool program that implements a 50/50 language model (Spanish/English). The center is operated by FCSS and serves as a demonstration site and innovation lab for early childhood professionals and students. It offers observation areas and on-site training opportunities to learn about the program’s approach to high-quality care. Additionally, the FCSS-ECE team will introduce “Developing Authentic Partnerships with Families of Dual Language Learners: A toolkit for Educators of Children Ages Birth to Five,” which FCSS-ECE developed in partnership with WestEd and complements the Language Learning Project (LLP) initiative led by Fresno Unified School District (FUSD).