Preschool and School Readiness: Experiences of Children with Non-English-Speaking Parents

Recently much attention has been given to the importance of preschool attendance in preparing children for kindergarten. Educators and researchers agree that attendance in center-based preschool programs can be especially important for English language learners because it gives them a head start, both in learning English and in developing essential school readiness skills. A recent study by the Public Policy Institute of California examined the effect of preschool attendance on one particular sub-group of ELLs, linguistically isolated children, or children who have little or no exposure to English in their home environments.