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It’s almost noon, and after playing on the playground, working with clay and washing their hands, the 2-year-olds are ready for lunch.

The eight children and their teachers pray in English, thanking God for the meal. Then, the adults bring over several bowls.

鈥淗oy tenemos arroz. Eduardo, 驴puedes servir tu arroz, por favor?” In Spanish, the teacher announces the children are having rice, asking Eduardo to start serving. The little boy grabs a ladle and scoops rice onto his plate.聽

Both English and Spanish are core to daily life in this Head Start preschool in Immokalee, Florida 鈥� an agricultural area about 120 miles (190km) northwest of Miami. The center serves more than 50 children from mostly , ages 6 months to 5 years. Most students arrive speaking little or no English.

Children who speak a language other than English at home account for at least a third of the enrollment in Head Start, a federally funded early childhood program serving roughly 700,000 low-income children and their parents. For decades, Head Start has supported these kids by hiring multilingual teachers to teach them English, while using their home languages as a foundation.

But an proposed by President Donald Trump’s administration would amend that approach.

If finalized, the proposal would require Head Start programs to conduct all education in English, though programs could seek waivers and certain Tribal-language instruction would be exempt. The administration argues emphasizing English will expand children鈥檚 future economic opportunities and their ability to participate in American communities.

鈥淎 firm foundation in the English language鈥� is critical to preparing kids for school, said the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees Head Start, in response to questions from The Associated Press.

The administration says the change would allow programs to reduce multilingual services and redirect resources toward English-language education and 鈥渁ssimilation.鈥�  But it also estimates tens of millions of dollars in one-time costs to make the switch to English instruction, including nearly $47 million to replace curricula, books and other classroom materials containing other languages. 

How Head Start teaches in multiple languages

Toys line shelves in the Immokalee classrooms, labeled in English and Spanish 鈥� helicopters, airplanes, tower builders. Bilingual signs show shapes in different colors and list children鈥檚 birthdays.

Every day, teachers sing and read in both languages, with offerings like 鈥淟a Vaca Lola鈥� (Lola the Cow), 鈥淭he Wheels on the Bus,鈥� 鈥淓l Camioncito Azul鈥� (Little Blue Truck) and 鈥淧ete the Cat.鈥�

One afternoon, a group of children is eating muffins when it suddenly grows dark outside and thunder rolls. Noticing the preschoolers look worried, a teacher explains in English, 鈥淲hen you see it, it鈥檚 lightning. When you hear it, it鈥檚 thunder. What was it?鈥�

鈥淭hunder,鈥� a boy responds. Another answers the question in Spanish, noting the danger: 鈥淓s muy peligroso.”

鈥淪i te cae un rayo muy fuerte, te puedes lastimar,” the teacher responds. (If a very strong bolt of lightning hits you, you could get hurt.) Then she adds in English: 鈥淪o we don鈥檛 go outside.鈥� 

The children cover their ears. 鈥溌�Lo escuch茅!鈥� one shouts. (I heard it!) 

Speaking in English, the teacher tries to calm them down. Everything is fine, she explains. They are safe inside the classroom.

This is part of Head Start鈥檚 Planned Language Approach in action. Educators help children learn English while also using the language they speak at home 鈥� not simply as an accommodation, but as a teaching strategy. Research shows skills and knowledge developed in a child鈥檚 home language can provide a foundation for learning English.

If a child already knows the word for 鈥測ellow鈥� in Spanish, she doesn鈥檛 have to completely rediscover the concept behind the color when learning the word in English. Rather, Spanish becomes a bridge to English. 

Asked for research supporting the proposed English-only requirement, the Department of Health and Human Services pointed to a section of the proposal that cites Trump鈥檚 executive order designating English as the . 鈥淭he changes set forth in the proposed Head Start rule help achieve these goals by exposing children to English earlier, during a critical time in children鈥檚 development,鈥� a department spokeswoman said.

But research doesn’t back up the administration’s claim, said Michael L贸pez, a child psychologist who has spent more than three decades conducting research on early childhood education and leading Head Start studies for the federal government and non-governmental organizations. 

鈥淭here鈥檚 really not any credible research basis that suggests that English-only instruction will produce stronger English academic outcomes,鈥� L贸pez said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a mistake. It鈥檚 really going back 30 years.鈥�

Dual-language instruction produces better academic outcomes, he said, including in subjects like mathematics. And, he said, suggest instruction in both languages can produce better Spanish skills without sacrificing English-language development.

Francisco Rodriguez, who attended Head Start in Florida as a child, said he spoke English at home with his mother, but often couldn鈥檛 communicate with his father, who speaks only Spanish. Head Start helped him build a foundation in Spanish to deepen his relationship with his dad. Today, he is fluent in both languages.

鈥淜nowing how to read or write in English, it was easy for me to pick up Spanish words,鈥� said Rodr铆guez, now 32, who holds a master鈥檚 degree in architecture and creates interactive experiences in museums. 鈥淎nd because I鈥檝e heard them at home, I can easily put two and two together.鈥�

In the 1970s, Head Start began requiring centers with significant numbers of non-native English speakers to hire at least one staff member fluent in their home language 鈥� a regulation still in place today. 

The Trump administration wants to drop that requirement, saying it could help centers more easily staff classrooms. 

The language changes are part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to eliminate or rewrite many federal Head Start requirements for classroom conditions, curriculum and safety. Instead, state and local regulations 鈥� which are often more lenient 鈥� would apply. The administration says the change would give Head Start centers more flexibility over how they operate.

The proposed changes do not require a vote in Congress, but the administration is required to seek and consider feedback from the public. Comments are due Oct. 6. 

Thus far, related to the English-only proposal oppose that approach.

Multilingual approach allows parents to participate in learning

At Immokalee, teachers give daily notes to parents when they pick up their children, writing in both English and Spanish. A recent note to the family of a girl named Deleiza, for example, said she鈥檇 eaten almost all her breakfast and lunch. 鈥淗oy estuve sonriente,” it said of Deleiza. (Today I was smiling.)

Beyond these simple reports are monthly parent meetings on campus to discuss topics like security, plus four in-person parent-teacher conferences every year 鈥� two at the children鈥檚 homes and two at school. (Those conferences would under the Trump administration proposal.) 

In all of these interactions, parents and staff currently speak in Spanish with each other.

The executive director overseeing the Immokalee center said she is unsure what the English-only proposal would mean in practice, particularly for parents鈥� involvement. 

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how you鈥檙e going to keep people from 鈥� speaking Spanish, because it is the home language,鈥� said Isabel Garcia, who, as executive director of the Redlands Christian Migrant Association, supervises 26 Head Start and Early Head Start locations. 鈥淚t is important that (family members) feel comfortable understanding what is happening with their child.鈥�

HHS told AP the English-language requirement would apply only to instruction. Head Start teachers could continue using kids鈥� home languages in non-instructional contexts 鈥� explaining safety rules or providing comfort, for example 鈥� and when communicating and engaging with families, the department said. In fact, the law requires Head Start centers to communicate with parents in a language they understand, 鈥渢o the extent practicable,鈥� which wouldn’t change. 

But communicating thoroughly may be more difficult without a staff member who speaks the language. The department acknowledged that eliminating requirements for bilingual staffers 鈥渕ay negatively affect communication with non-English speaking families and weaken family engagement.”

鈥淭echnology-based translation tools may help mitigate some of these impacts,鈥� the department said.

L贸pez, the researcher, noted parents help advance their children鈥檚 learning by being teachers at home, even when they鈥檙e using a language other than English. They help kids by counting, referencing different colors and repeating stories and songs.

鈥淲e are going to lose that bridge,鈥� L贸pez said.

During naptime at the Immokalee center, a mother opens the door to pick up a sick child. The teacher greets her in Spanish, reporting her daughter didn’t want to sleep or eat. 

鈥淣o quiso dormir. No quiso comer,” the teacher says.

The mother lifts her daughter from the mat, rests her little head on one of her shoulders, and says to her: 鈥淚t is OK, beb茅.鈥�

鈥淗asta ma帽ana,” the teacher whispers. 鈥淗ope you feel better.鈥�

AP education writers Alia Wong and Moriah Balingit contributed reporting.

The Associated Press鈥� education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP鈥檚 for working with philanthropies, a of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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