In the U.S one in four children come from a home where a language other than English is spoken. In urban settings the number is often much higher, for example in New York City (NYC) over half of all children come from homes where at least one of over 700 other languages are spoken. Most of these children are from immigrant families and from Spanish speaking homes. Research has demonstrated that bilingual children of immigrants often have limited access to high-quality state-funded early childhood education (ECE). State funded preschool programs are often aimed to benefit immigrant populations, though these same populations often face obstacles, such as language barriers and access to the information on how the programs are structured and how to enroll in appropriate high-quality programs. Policy is needed that includes equitable access to preschool settings that fit families’ needs to promote emergent bilinguals’ academic and social success.

Providing support for the home languages of immigrant children is a critical component of high-quality ECE. In this study, we examine the types and availability of preschool programs for emergent bilingual children and their families in New York City’s Universal preschool programs. We identify the various types and availability of NYC DOE Preschool (PreK) programs and analyze inequities to access to bilingual programs across different boroughs and neighborhoods. Using correlational statistical analyses, we compare the number of dual language and ELS programs compared with other programs, and analyze access to these programs in relation to the proportion of families that speak a language other than English in different geographic locations across NYC. We also consider enrollment in each of the programs and the populations that the serve. Lastly using analyses of covariance, we examine the quality ratings of all NYC DOE PreK programs and compare those which support emergent bilingual children.

This study describes preschool programs which offer bilingual education through dual language programs or enhanced language services to the large populations of emergent bilinguals. Our findings show that the number of bilingual preschool programs offered is grossly inadequate and is not significantly correlated to serve the neighborhoods with high proportion of emergent bilingual children. We will present data and maps demonstrating the inequitable and lack of adequate support for multilingual learners in NYC preschools. In this study, we contribute to the body of literature assessing disparities in access to bilingual pre-K programs. At the same time, we document meaningful variation in pre-K classroom quality across dual language, enhanced language support programs and those programs without home language support. This research aims to deepen our understanding of how young emergent bilingual children can be best supported in PreK, with particular focus on factors related to children’s bilingual language development.

Keywords: Bilingual Education, Equitable Access, Immigrant Families, Emergent Bilinguals.