Early care and education (ECE) programs, policymakers and practitioners across the United States are
facing the reality of the increase in the population of dual language learners (DLLs). To address these
children’s unique and varied characteristics and experiences, ECE programs find that they must adjust
and adapt their efforts. However, there is limited evidence for early childhood strategies to support DLLs
and limited understanding of DLLs’ development. There are increased accountability requirements for
ECE programs to meet the needs of all children, including DLLs. This special section “The Development
and Early Care and Education of Dual Language Learners: Examining the State of Knowledge” includes
six articles reporting on the research activities of the Center for Early Care and Education Research – Dual
Language Learners (CECER-DLL). The Center was federally funded to advance the research field to improve
assessment, child care, and education for DLLs from birth through five years of age. This introduction
and commentary discusses the most relevant findings from the set of critical reviews of literature and
the secondary analysis of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey-Birth Cohort conducted by the Center.
Also,themajormethodological challenges and research gaps found in the literature reviewed, across topic
areas, are presented and recommendations for future directions to advance research on the development
and early care and education of DLLs are provided.