HS Dialog, 26(3), Copyright © 2023, ISSN: 1930-9325 Preparing Early Childhood Educators to Work with Emergent Bilinguals Maria José A. Dias1 Julia T. Atiles1 Jaime Dice Moore2 2East Tennessee State University 2Athens, Georgia Classrooms across the United States have become more culturally and linguistically diverse, and educators report feeling not well prepared to work with children who are learning more than one language. In early childhood education, teacher beliefs and efficacy influence classroom practices. English is privileged over other languages, and children who are bilingual are often treated as if they have a deficit. This pilot study describes the development and implementation of a professional development workshop series for Head Start educators that applies a strengths- based perspective to emergent bilingual learning and explores how a translanguaging approach can not only empower children and educators but also engage families, expand learning opportunities, and make families a resource for educators. Nine educators shared their feedback on their experience of the workshop series and the content. Educators’ positive takeaways highlight the importance of ongoing professional development to improve practices of early childhood educators and the usefulness of a translanguaging approach for working with young children and their families. Keywords: professional development, emergent bilinguals, Head Start, translanguaging INTRODUCTION Classrooms across the United States are increasingly more culturally and linguistically diverse, with the number of children who speak a language other than English at home increasing considerably over the past two decades, from 9.2 %, or 4.5 million students in 2010 to 10.4% or 5.1 million students in 2019 (the National Center for Education Statistics, 2021). In Head Start programs across the nation, approximately 28% of children speak a primary language at home other than English, and 5% of children from English speaking homes are acquiring a second language (Office of Head Start, 2021). These numbers suggest the need for a workforce that is prepared to work effectively with multilingual children. RESEARCH ARTICLE 2 DIAS, ATILES, & MOORE Some teachers of multiple language learners focus on problems rather than potential. They focus on “can’t” instead of “not yet” developed language skills. This way of thinking leads teachers to ask “what’s wrong?” with a student rather than asking “what can I do to build on existing strengths?” (Larsen-Freeman, 2018). The traditional practice of an English-only policy in most schools upholds the notion that English is the only acceptable medium of communication within the classroom (Auerbach, 1993; Shvidko, 2017). The goal of traditional education is for children to acquire English as quickly as possible, with the expectation that the English acquisition will make children academically successful and contribute to a reduction in the achievement gap (Philipson, 1992). This is reflected in the term used to refer to children who are learning in multiple languages – English Language Learners (ELLs). In this paper, we refer to young children who are navigating language acquisition in two or more languages as “emergent bilinguals,” which positions the child’s bilingualism as a strength within the context of language and literacy development. This positioning and misconception that learning a second language puts children at a disadvantage leads to early childhood educators often holding erroneous beliefs about the importance of the English-only policy (Fu et al., 2019). García and Kleifgen (2018) argue that many educators believe that to successfully teach children, they need to be fluent in the languages that the children speak in their classrooms and that because they are not, they will not be effective in teaching them. Research shows that fluency in children’s languages is not necessary to be a successful educator. However, an understanding that language is a cognitive, social, and educational tool that needs to be valued and respected is essential for effectively supporting the language development of emergent bilinguals (Park, 2014). That focus on building relationships with children and families is more of a part of the curriculum in early childhood education than in later years. Many educators report struggling with feelings of low efficacy in working with emergent bilinguals because of the lack of training (Cummings, 2015; Samson & Collins, 2012; Siller, 2018). Research on professional development for educators working with children who are emergent bilinguals has shown effectiveness in changing educators’ knowledge, beliefs, and instruction, which impact children directly (Cummings, 2015; Tran, 2014; Zaslow et al., 2010). However, there is limited research on the effect of professional development for educators of emergent bilinguals on their perceptions and efficacy (Cummings, 2015; Siller, 2018), which also influence children’s learning environments. Studies that have explored the challenges and needs of early childhood educators who work with emergent bilinguals consistently report a lack of training and make recommendations for pre-service and in-service teacher training that include emergent bilinguals’ learning and development, as well as strategies for effective teaching (Baecher & Jewkes, 2014; Dwarka, 2018). Moreover, research suggests that increasing educators’ efficacy is linked to positive outcomes, such as more developmentally appropriate and innovative teaching practices, higher student achievement, and more purposeful work with at-risk learners (Allinder, 1994; Jordan et al., 1993). Quantitative studies of both pre-service and in-service teachers have shown a significant difference in efficacy with training. For example, Cummings (2015) found that in-service educators who received direct training in working with English language learners, or a bilingual certification/endorsement reported higher self-efficacy compared to those who did not. McCrary and colleagues (2011) found that a higher education program that was infused with ELL-focused TEACHING EMERGENT BILINGUALS 3 competencies increased the efficacy of both the pre-service teachers and their university faculty as a result of this practice. Pre-service teachers reported feeling prepared to address the needs of ELLs, while faculty members reported feeling more knowledgeable about ELL characteristics, teaching strategies, and appropriate assessment. It is clear that training influences educator efficacy in teaching children who are emergent bilinguals and that training can influence teacher beliefs and practices. In addition to the benefits of direct training, availability of support personnel can also help teachers feel more efficacious teaching ELLs. Choi and colleagues (2020) conducted a multi-method study to investigate Head Start teachers who work with Dual Language Learners (DLLs). The researchers found that while teachers use instructional strategies specific for DLLs they felt unsure about their preparation and expressed that they need more support and personnel to help them with communication. Also, participants reported that they felt more comfortable teaching DLLs when there was support. The present study adds to the current knowledge base on professional development that aims to increase the efficacy of early childhood educators who work with emergent bilinguals. The authors developed a series of professional development workshops designed to further Head Start educators’ knowledge and to develop practical skills for working with emergent bilinguals and their families using a strengths-based perspective for language learning. Educators engaged in a series of workshops demonstrating practices that benefit emergent bilinguals and parent-educator relationships, as well as provided understanding about how deficit-based practices feel from the students’ perspective. TRANSLANGUAGING PEDAGOGY In stark contrast to a deficit perspective of language learning, the authors drew from the translanguaging pedagogy framework to design this professional development (Garcia & Wei, 2014). Translanguaging is a philosophy of language and education that challenges the monolingual orientation. García and Kano (2014) defined translanguaging as a process by which students and teachers engage in complex discursive practices that include all the language practices of students in order to develop new language practices and sustain old ones, communicate appropriate knowledge, and give voice to new sociopolitical realities by interrogating linguistic inequality (p. 261). Translanguaging is aligned with the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s concept of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP). Teachers who implement DAP recognize the assets all young children bring to the early childhood classroom as individuals and as members of their families and communities. DAP builds on children strengths by supporting their learning through multiple modalities of communication, creating a caring community of learners; engaging in reciprocal partnerships with families; and observing, documenting and assessing development and learning (NAEYC, 2022). According to Wright (2022), DAP supports children’s development and learning by creating caring and equitable communities. Furthermore, “young children are developing multiple social identities that include race, language, culture, ability, class, and gender, 4 DIAS, ATILES, & MOORE among others, and intentional teachers affirm these in positive ways that do not negatively impact any others” (Wright, 2022, p. 119). Wright explains that in developmentally appropriate programs, “educators honor the perspectives, experiences, and realities of children and their families from culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse backgrounds. They work to bring each child’s home culture and language into the shared culture of the class” (p. 120). Applying the DAP philosophy, a translanguaging pedagogy integrates children’s bilingualism and knowledge development and strengthens children’s bilingual identities and socioemotional development (García et al., 2017). Thus, translanguaging challenges dichotomous thinking because of its flexible and fluid nature. A translanguaging classroom is any classroom with students who speak a language different from the official language of instruction. Students in a translanguaging classroom are encouraged to use their entire linguistic repertoire to make meaning and express themselves. From this perspective, students in a translanguaging classroom are called bilingual students (García et al., 2017). García and colleagues (2017) described the translanguaging classroom as “a space built collaboratively by the teacher and bilingual students as they use their different language practices to teach and learn in deeply creative and critical ways” (p. 2). Using a translanguaging approach, educators can facilitate teaching and learning, not by ignoring the student’s full linguistic repertoire, but rather by developing their full competencies and sense of agency, helping students understand themselves and their place in the world (García et al., 2017). Following this perspective, a translanguaging classroom has the distinct characteristic of a corriente (Spanish word for current; a metaphor used by García et al., 2017, to show how fluid and dynamic translanguaging classrooms are) so that planning is flexible and adaptable. According to García et al. (2017), aspects of a translanguaging pedagogy that are necessary for educators to be able to see the students’ full linguistic repertoire and engage in translanguaging practices include: a) an educator needs to have a translanguaging ideological stance, b) an educator needs to build a translanguaging design (planning, instruction, and assessment), and c) an educator needs to make translanguaging shifts (moment-by-moment decisions educators make during instruction to meet the needs of their students). These three aspects were used as guiding principles to develop the professional development workshops in the present article. Exploratory research on K-12 education provides insights for early childhood education. Studies have shown that when teachers are trained in translanguaging practices, teacher practices can change. Studies of professional development that lasts several months show promising results. Menken and Sánchez (2019) evaluated the impact of multiple schools implementing professional development and technical assistance in translanguaging pedagogy and found that the training changed how educators thought about their students, their practices, and how emergent bilinguals fit into their practices in instruction. Similarly, Holdway and Hitchcock (2018) examined the shift of seven educators who participated in a 15-week online professional development course in which they studied their own practices and the benefits of including a students’ first language in the classroom. They found that educators had varied acceptance and resistance to translanguaging practices. Although this study included some acceptance, future studies should explore the resistance and whether it is related to the specific professional development or other factors. TEACHING EMERGENT BILINGUALS 5 Studies on professional development in translanguaging pedagogy in early childhood education are mostly qualitative and similarly exploratory but show promise for this approach. Kirsch and Seele (2020), for example, examined the practices of four early childhood educators who worked with emergent bilinguals and showed that teachers who were attached to monolingual practices in the beginning of the professional development incorporated more translanguaging practices in their classroom and became more flexible. Seltzer and colleagues (2020) described the results of having teachers observe young emergent bilingual children playing. Teachers reported opening their minds to hear and see students through a translanguaging pedagogy lens and reported that kindergarteners engaged in translanguaging while they were in the play centers. These studies explore the mental shifts that educators report making as a result of professional development focused on translanguaging practices. They also demonstrate the disruption of monolingual policies and practices in a classroom and show the transformative potential of shifting to a translanguaging pedagogy. Professional development training and pre-service teacher training seem to be the path to steer from monolingual to multilingual classrooms, to challenge the norm of the English-only practice, and endeavor to make classrooms more culturally and linguistically responsive. However, little has been discussed about what activities a professional training could include for early childhood educators to make the shift to a translanguaging pedagogy. Research has highlighted the essential building blocks of an educator’s toolkit for developing a translanguaging classroom. In a review of the content of professional preparation programs for early educators working with young DLLs, Zepeda et al. (2011) identified six content areas that teacher preparation needs to focus on to meet the needs of emergent bilinguals, which were applied to develop a translanguaging workshop series. The areas are (a) understanding language development, (b) understanding the relationship between language and culture, (c) developing skills and abilities to effectively teach DLLs, (d) developing abilities to use assessment in meaningful ways for DLLs, (e) developing a sense of professionalism (this sense of professionalism is explained by using appropriate resources, understanding the sociopolitical context, and developing consciousness about biases), and (f) understanding how to work with families. In addition, the workshops were developed using España et al.’s (2019) principles for teacher candidates to make the shift from monolingual only to multilingual practices, including a need to gain understanding of their own language practices and the connection between language and power; transform their bilingual students into knowers; and transform schools into democratic institutions for bilingual students in which their voices are included and heard. All of these suggested areas of expertise reflect the change that translanguaging pedagogy can have for an educational experience that builds on the strengths of diversity instead of using a deficit model. A Workshop Series for Translanguaging Pedagogy Drawing from research on professional development and from the translanguaging pedagogy, the authors of the current study developed a series of four workshops to prepare Head Start educators to work with emergent bilinguals. The sessions had a duration of one and a half to two hours over two fall months of 2021. Having time between workshops was intentional, so that educators had time to put strategies learned into practice and could share what worked and did not work during 6 DIAS, ATILES, & MOORE the next meeting. Opportunities for implementation and practice of strategies have been identified as a feature of effective early childhood professional development (Castro et al., 2017). Workshop Series Overview Table 1 shows where each activity in the workshop series applied Zepeda et al.’s (2011) content areas that teacher preparation needs to focus on to meet the needs of emergent bilingual students. Table 1 Zepeda et al.’s (2011) Content Areas for Teacher Preparation for Working with DLLs Content Area Workshop Workshop Application 1 2 3 4 Understanding language development x x Stages of language development, affective filter, emergent literacy, bilingualism as an asset, comprehension and vocabulary development Understanding the relationship between language and culture x x x x Raise awareness about educators’ personal and cultural identities, multicultural and multilingual classroom, morning meetings, multicultural books, family engagement Developing skills and abilities to effectively teach DLLs x x x x Develop empathy towards emergent bilinguals, school or program wide effort to embrace diversity, home language survey, strategies to develop comprehension and vocabulary, funds of knowledge, and activities for families to engage in biliteracy practices Developing abilities to use assessment in meaningful ways for DLLs x Practice comprehension and vocabulary strategies to assess children’s understanding Developing a sense of professionalism x x x x Be intentional and provide meaningful learning environment and practices to emergent bilinguals Understanding how to work with families x x Home language surveys, funds of knowledge, see families as valuable resources Workshop 1 was on developing and raising educators’ self-awareness regarding their personal and cultural identities, and developing empathy towards emergent bilinguals; workshop 2 on multiculturalism and emergent bilinguals supported educators’ understanding of the relationship between language and culture; workshop 3 on emergent literacy and practices supported educators’ understanding of language development and the development of skills and abilities to effectively teach emergent bilinguals; and workshop 4 on school and family engagement supported the use of assessment in meaningful ways for emergent bilinguals and the development of a sense of TEACHING EMERGENT BILINGUALS 7 professionalism as explained by using appropriate resources, understanding the sociopolitical context, and developing consciousness about biases, as well as understanding how to work with families. Each workshop’s content is described in more detail in the research-to-practice summary (Atiles et al., 2023). All of these suggested areas of expertise reflect the change that translanguaging pedagogy can have for an educational experience that builds on the strengths of diversity. METHODOLOGY A qualitative pilot study was conducted to evaluate if this series of professional development focusing on building teachers’ self-awareness and empathy towards emergent bilinguals, culturally responsive practices, emergent literacy, and school and family engagement was appropriate to equip early childhood teachers with best practices to work with emergent bilinguals. Following an IRB approved protocol, Head Start administrators invited their teachers to participate in the professional development. This purposeful convenience sample resulted in twenty-one participants attending and enrolling in the study in the first session. Nine teachers attended the four sessions and completed the study. Participants were eight females and one male. Seven identified as White, one Black, and one of Hispanic descent. Their age ranged from 24-63. Their years of teaching experience ranged from 1-27 years with the mean years of experience being 11.33. Six reported that their highest level of education completed was a bachelor’s degree in child development or early childhood education or related field, one held a master’s degree in early childhood education, one a bachelor’s degree in business, and one an associate degree in early childhood education. All worked in Head Start programs in a southeastern state. Data Collection Participants completed an online pre- and post-survey that included a brief demographic questionnaire and the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (Short Form) (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001). Participants responded to the 12-item survey by selecting responses indicating how much they felt they could do in relation to various statements, ranging from 1 (nothing) to 9 (a great deal). The scale measures teachers’ beliefs about their effectiveness with students in the classroom and consists of three subscales: instructional strategy, classroom management, and student engagement (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001). The language of the scale was adapted for this study to specify how teachers felt about efficacy in relation to emergent bilingual students, instead of answering for the student body in general. Items included questions such as “how much can you do to motivate emergent bilingual students who show low interest in schoolwork?” and “how much can you use a variety of assessment strategies with emergent bilinguals?” At the end of the post-survey, participants read: “Before clicking ‘submit’, if you want, you can leave us a message. Thank you for your participation in this study.” Several participants included comments in that space or sent the authors emails of appreciation for the training and commenting on their takeaways. Participants’ comments from the workshops were transcribed. The qualitative data were taken from survey comments, the workshop transcript, and 8 DIAS, ATILES, & MOORE emails of participants’ comments, and the KWL chart (used in workshop 2 to identify what the teachers already knew and wanted to learn). Takeaways from the data analysis are described in the following section. RESULTS Three sets of data were analyzed: the KWL chart, and the comments made by participants during the workshops and unsolicited emails, and written comments in the open-ended question at the end of the survey. All of the data sources were included in the informed consent. The sample size precluded statistical testing of the data from the teachers’ efficacy scale. However, it is useful to note that the efficacy pretest scores ranged from 35 to 108 with an average of 70.66, and the efficacy posttest scores ranged from 74 to 104 with an average of 88.22. Therefore, the self- efficacy scores increased on average 17.55 points. During Workshop 2, researchers asked participants to complete the “What I Know” and the “What I Want to Know” columns of the KWL chart as a way to remind them of this strategy that they can also use with children and to provoke reflection in the session. The completed KWL chart indicated that participants understood the importance of the context and that visual aids help the learner decipher meaning. Additionally, teachers understanding that children’s frustration, difficulty transitioning, and misbehavior may be the result of lacking language skills. Some of the participants knew some cultural celebrations and a few resources to help students and to talk with parents. Participants were interested in learning some Spanish, including learning the appropriate terms to communicate with parents in a formal and respectful manner; learning how to help children in their silent period as well as comforting or soothing words and phrases; and understanding words to navigate around disabilities (how to explain the IEP process to a family). However, the authors chose to include how they addressed participants’ “What I Want to Know” requests on the “What I Have Learned” column. These included, translating welcome signs, welcome letter to parents, and basic classroom vocabulary; practicing strategies to integrate home language; discussing the stages of language development and the best way to help children progress through the stages, focusing on the importance of non-verbal language for comforting children; additionally, materials about the IEP (Programa o plan de educacíon individualizado) process in Spanish were shared with the educator who had interest in this area. Throughout the workshops, researchers modeled the use of the translanguaging pedagogy as a way to enhance their communication with students and families. Finally, the transcripts of the participants’ comments made during the workshops or sent via email and comments written in the open-ended question at the end of the survey revealed teachers’ perceptions of how the professional development affected them and what they learned. From those, a series of take-aways emerged. Takeaways One. Build Empathy This takeaway recognizes that empathy from the teachers towards the emergent bilinguals is needed in order for them to support the students’ through the challenges posed by language TEACHING EMERGENT BILINGUALS 9 limitations. The activity aims at placing the teachers in the emergent bilinguals’ shoes; a situation where they do not know the language, yet are expected to respond to questions addressing comprehension. The educators reported that the activity of reading a story in Spanish to a majority of monolingual English speakers gave them the chance to feel like the emergent bilinguals in their classrooms. Building empathy towards emergent bilinguals may be the starting point to take the stance of a translanguaging pedagogy and improve instruction. One educator commented: I guess I had never thought about it, but it was very confusing for me. I was totally lost because I could not see the pictures and had no idea what they were saying. It will definitely make me think about what is important for all the children to see in and learn from the book the next time. Two. Engage Families This takeaway recognizes that families are an excellent resource. Educators engaging with the family as an ally and knowing they can learn with and from families is crucial to children’s education. A participant stated: I believe a child’s education benefits more when families and educators work together as a team… I feel family home activities should be connected in a way they can express their beliefs or customs, so each child has a little of their families in the classroom. Another participant stated: “I also loved the idea of having the families bring in items, songs, and stories from their culture and sharing them with all the children.” Both comments reflect on the concepts of funds of knowledge. They express the value of knowing about children’s interests and cultural background, thus building bridges between school and home. Three. Implement Research-based Strategies This takeaway addresses the importance of knowing various teaching strategies that can be used to promote language development. Participants showed a positive reaction towards the emergent literacy practices presented during workshop 3. One participant stated: I will incorporate the tip of writing down questions beforehand when planning to read a book to the class. I will like the children to draw a picture in response to the story. Presently, I introduce Spanish words with the children whenever I'm able to. During transitions, I count up to 10 in Spanish. I believe we can all benefit from this class [professional development workshop] especially during the literacy segments. Thank you again for making this class available to us. Another participant also demonstrated positive attitude towards implementing some of the strategies in her instruction, as follows, “The literacy ideas were great, ones I will definitely use in the classroom. Especially labeling everything in English and Spanish.” 10 DIAS, ATILES, & MOORE Four. Intentional Self-Reflection This takeaway emphasizes the importance of teachers engaging in reflection about their practices while considering children’s individual, cultural, and language differences. When discussing how educators can incorporate children’s culture into the classroom and how to develop relationships with them, an educator emphasized the importance of “just learning more about the kids in your classroom and in the community and hopefully learning ways to help out.” Another educator stated the importance of planning lessons ahead and considering the children they have in the classroom: “I was reminded to be intentional in my preparation.” In essence, educators not only have to perform their tasks, but also need time to reflect on their practices and the important role they play in children’s development. Five. Social-Emotional Support and Comforting This final takeaway recognizes that learning a few words in the emergent bilinguals’ home languages allows the educator to provide socio-emotional support and comforting to the children. Educators expressed wanting to have some language to be able to comfort emergent bilinguals in times of distress, demonstrating the need for a unique skillset needed to work with young children. While teaching the Spanish language was beyond the scope of the professional development workshops, the “What I Have Learned” column of the KWL chart above explains how it was addressed by the authors. During the professional development, the researchers emphasized the importance of building bridges between school and families, and emphasizes how valuable of a resource family engagement can be in the teaching and learning process. Because of COVID-19, researchers suggested bringing in volunteers (family members) virtually via Zoom to read a book or tell a story in their home language. The testimonial of one participant who invited a family member to read a story to the class showed the impact this type of activity can have in the classroom: When we approached a particular family about reading a story to the class, the first thing the parent said to us was, “I do not speak good English so I don’t think I should read the story.” When we told the parent we wanted him to read in Spanish, he agreed and seemed more relaxed about the idea. The very next day, that parent read a story in Spanish. I cannot even begin to accurately describe the twinkle in his child’s eyes as he heard his dad read a story to his class! The dad was smiling, and the kids were so excited to hear a story. It gave the classroom [children] a wonderful opportunity to talk about different languages, and it also empowered a family and made them feel involved. The children were able to follow along the story by using context clues from the pictures in the book and it was such a wonderful way to include families! I am planning on asking more families in our classroom to read stories or tell oral stories to our classroom [children]! This participant’s narrative illustrates the importance of perceiving families as allies in children’s learning development and how this professional development contributed to this mindset shift. TEACHING EMERGENT BILINGUALS 11 DISCUSSION The workshop series was developed to enrich the professional toolkit of early childhood educators who work with emergent bilingual students. Although the evaluation of this workshop series is exploratory, it illustrates early childhood educators’ thoughts and reflections on the experience of a professional development workshop series based on translanguaging pedagogy. Participants described experiencing empathy towards bilingual students, expanded and positive family engagement, the usefulness for building relationships and relevant content for young children using concepts of emergent literacy, feeling responsibility as an educator, and the identification of the need to have more tools to support children’s social emotional development and needs. This pilot study illustrates the kinds of “aha” moments that educators can have when they experience learning through the eyes of an emergent bilingual, when they demonstrate that they value an ecology of multilingualism in the classroom, when they practice emergent literacy, and when they engage families as a resource in their practices. The results of this study suggest that there is value in providing a strengths-based approach to bilingualism for children who speak a language or languages other than English. This is in sharp contrast to the deficit-based perspective typically adopted in traditional language learning pedagogy (Garcia et al., 2017). While most studies of ELLs or DLLs have examined teacher education for children of school age, studies like the present one, demonstrate the additional value of applying a translanguaging approach to emergent literacy in early childhood because of this unique period in development. Young children are more dependent on the social, emotional, and linguistic interactions of their families for making sense of the world and developing literacy. By applying translanguaging and treating children as emergent bilinguals, educators show respect for cultural differences and make family contributions into resources. The results of the KWL chart are similar to previous studies that found that teachers have a desire to learn the language of the child, and perhaps show the mistaken belief that knowing the child’s language is necessary for teaching them. However, these results also suggest that the overall intent of this desire may stem from the need to provide social and emotional comfort to the child, which is an important aspect of learning in young children, as well as to have meaningful and respectful communications and relationships with the families of young children. Teachers reported ways that the workshops addressed these areas of deficit in their knowledge by giving them non-verbal tools for communication, helping them understand the context of language learning, and translating non-verbal cues from children. This study demonstrates how an intentionally designed professional development series for early childhood educators shows promise for influencing the knowledge, beliefs, and practices of educators who teach children who are emergent bilinguals. It also illustrates the application of the six essential components of an educators’ toolkit for working with emergent bilinguals as identified by Zepeda and colleagues (2011) in a professional development training. There is still much research to be done exploring the potential of professional development using a translanguaging approach. Future studies should explore the influence of various translanguaging practices on children's language learning and the influence of professional development in translanguaging on teacher practices. Because early childhood language learning sets the foundation for identity and future language development, more studies need to be conducted on 12 DIAS, ATILES, & MOORE translanguaging practices in the early childhood classroom to better understand how they compare to or are more powerful in influencing learning for this age group than the use of such practices with older students. An important application of this pilot study relates to participants’ recruitment, bias, and buy-in. The researchers experienced difficulty recruiting participants. While the participants were invested in learning about emergent bilinguals, their interest and commitment may not be representative of other early childhood teachers. In this study, low participation was perhaps due to the COVID-19 virus and the fact that many educators feel overwhelmed by the extra duties the pandemic brought to their teaching environment. Additionally, administrators described a phenomenon in which Head Start educators have become accustomed to being paid to attend professional development. This “earn to learn” model that is typically provided was not possible for the current study and resulted in a smaller sample with which this professional development workshop series could be piloted. A diverse sample will provide insight into the influence of such an approach on the knowledge, beliefs and practices of educators who are less willing to adapt their pedagogical style or methods. Future studies should explore various methods for increasing participation including earn-to-learn professional development models that pay educators to participate in trainings as well as systemic buy-in on the importance of participating in professional training of this nature. With many educators reporting low efficacy in working with emergent bilinguals because of the lack of training (Cummings, 2015; Samson & Collins, 2012; Siller, 2019), this detailed professional development description on the four workshops can be used by teacher educators and trainers as a blueprint for lessons and professional development. More work is needed in creating professional development and pre-service teacher preparation programs for early childhood educators in the areas proposed by España et al. (2019) for educators to make the shift from monolingual only to multilingual practices. Understanding one’s own language practices and the connection between language and power would be useful in all teacher preparation programs to transform all students, including bilingual students, into knowers and to transform schools into democratic institutions where all students’ voices are included and heard. 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