Broadening English-Centric Early Literacy Pedagogies: Building on Young Spanish-English Bilingual Children's Language and Home Literacy Practices

In recent years, there has been a special interest in promoting literacy learning in early childhood education programs. It is presumed that teaching literacy early can ensure better literacy outcomes in later years. Currently, in a renewed effort to improve children's literacy learning through science of reading supported practices, most states across the United States have passed legislation for the teaching of reading in grades K-3. These laws have repercussions for early childhood education (ECE) programs serving bilingual children. Educators and advocates for bilingual children have voiced concerns about a blanket approach to early literacy reflective of a monolingual, English-centric perspective, which might exacerbate the longstanding educational inequities experienced by bilingual children. Viewing language and literacy learning both as a right and as a resource, we propose an expansive perspective of early literacy that integrates a holistic bilingual and a sociocultural perspective. A broader perspective on early literacy calls for an understanding of the linguistic characteristics of each language as well as the sociocultural literacy practices associated with the uses of both languages. Drawing from early literacy studies conducted in Spanish-dominant countries and in the United States, we foreground two interrelated components of early literacy learning—code-focused skills and home literacy practices—with an emphasis on commonalities and differences across Spanish and English and how these early literacy aspects relate across languages. We also discuss asset-based practices for supporting literacy learning in early childhood settings serving young bilingual children. This information can help to enhance teachers' agency for building pro-Latine literacy curricula and pedagogies that can lead to emancipatory, meaningful, and more equitable education for bilingual children.