Websites and Articles

Websites, Resources and Articles for Parents and Teachers of Bilingual Kids

• Fonetiks. Website for teachers to learn how to pronounce words and phonemes in many different languages. Useful for incorporating a student’s home language in the classroom.
• The National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) is an advocacy organization that represents bilingual learners, parents, teachers, and administrators. Their mission is: “to advocate for our nations Bilingual and English Language Learners and families and to cultivate a multilingual multicultural society by supporting and promoting policy, programs, pedagogy, research, and professional development that yield academic success, value native language, lead to English proficiency, and respect cultural and linguistic diversity.”
• The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization: Languages in Education is UNESCO’s website advocating for the use of bilingual and multilingual education in the classroom “to promote access to quality education.” The website includes resources on the benefits of mother tongue instruction and ways to incorporate native language into the classroom.
• Wordlingo Translator. is one of many online translators that can help teachers prepare materials in the home language. These resources are a good starting place for educators, although people who can speak both English and home languages are more accurate and should check online translations, when possible.
• Awesome Talking Library can be used to download a free program that reads online text aloud both slowly and at a fluent pace. It can read text in English, Spanish, and a variety of other languages. This is an important resource, as students who are learning English can have the opportunity to hear text read slow enough to translate. Additionally, it is another way teachers can allow students to hear reading in their home language when other options are not available. Online books are available for reading as well.
• Presentations and workshops for educators and Speech pathologists on multicultural issues .  Lots of information on bilingualism and children with developmental and language delays, including how to asses. Handouts, powerpoints and case studies available.
• Diversity resources for teachers. Lesson plans and printables.
• Colorin Colorado, Preschool for English Language Learners 
• Head Start, Dual Language Learners 
• Pre-Institute Resources 
• Professional Development Series on Dual Language Learners, Head Start, Ready For Success, 2009-2010
• National Institute for Early Education Research, English Language Learners 
• Early Childhood Equity Initiative offers articles on building social justice in early childhood classrooms. Topics include racial and cultural awareness, celebrating diversity, and anti-bias curricula. Online at
• Head Start Reauthorization: Enhancing School Readiness for Hispanic Children, from the National Council of La Raza, finds that Head Start needs more Latino and bilingual teachers to better support the one-third of Head Start-eligible children who are Latino. Includes recommendations for change. Online at
• The importance of learning Spanish, if monolinguals are doing it … why let  kids forget it?!