s the number of English learners in K–12 public schools
has increased, so too has the population of preschool
dual language learners, or DLLs. For preschoolers, the
term dual language learners is preferred since young
children are still in the midst of acquiring their first language.*
More than 4 million DLLs are enrolled in early childhood pro
-
grams nationally. Thirty percent of the children in Head Start and
Early Head Start are DLLs.