Early Edge Blog

Early Edge California and California Department of Education Host Final Dual Language Learner Professional Development Grantee Convening

June 30, 2020

On Friday, June 26, Early Edge California and the California Department of Education (CDE) hosted the fourth and final convening of grantees of the Dual Language Learner Professional Development (DLL-PD) grant.

We were joined by representatives from each of the six grantee projects, as well as private funders who contributed to the grant’s success. This public-private partnership allowed for the convening of grantees, an evaluation of the grant, teacher release time, and classroom materials.

The convening began with each grantee sharing their reflections on what they have accomplished as a result of the DLL-PD grant and what is to come for their work. 

Highlights include:

• California Preschool Instructional Network was able to develop DLL-specific course content to include on the California Early Childhood Online (CECO) online training portal. This training allows for pathways for different age ranges (i.e. infant/toddler and preschool-age) as well as different Early Learning settings (i.e., family childcare homes and center-based). Learning pathways are also available for administrators and coaches.
• California State University Channel Islands was able to offer a two-part DLL-specific online course through their extension program available in both English and Spanish, as well as communities of practice to address supporting DLLs, birth to age five, in different Early Learning settings.
• Faculty Initiative Project was able to develop a set of DLL-specific training materials to be used as part of the Faculty Initiative Project training for faculty of California’s institutions of higher education. These materials will support faculty across the California community college and state university system to embed the needs of DLLs and their families into their coursework.
• Language Learning Project was able to expand their model to different counties of the state as well as develop a Trainer Toolkit which is available here.
• Preschool GLAD was able to develop their Preschool GLAD En Español training geared to preschool teachers of Spanish dual immersion programs and focused on implementing the Preschool GLAD strategies in Spanish.
• Sobrato Early Academic Language was able to expand their Preschool training model in different counties and areas across the state. They also developed videos highlighting their model’s strategies and practices.

To learn more about the work that was accomplished through this grant, please read our blog series in collaboration with New America highlighting this work.

Early Edge California also provided a brief update on the Master Plan for Early Learning and Care work, including the Early Learning and Care Playbook’s DLL page. We also provided an update on the State Budget.

Over the course of the 18-month grant period and through the learnings obtained at the four convenings co-hosted by Early Edge California and CDE, Early Edge California has developed a document highlighting the policy implications that have arisen through this grant. This document outlines remaining needs at the state level to better support DLLs and their families across California, as well as to better equip Early Learning teachers to build on the assets of DLLs and support their needs.

Finally, Early Edge California is currently in the process of identifying opportunities to further the momentum from this critical work and to bring together this collective of grantees in the near future to continue sharing and learning, especially as it is related to pivoting DLL-specific training to online and distance learning settings as a result of COVID-19.