The Dialog: A Journal for Inclusive Early Childhood Professionals 4 I am pleased to introduce you to this special issue of The Dialog focused on Supporting Multilingual Children and Families in Early Childhood Spaces; the FIRST is- sue of the NEW Dialog! Across the US, one third of children under the age of five are multilingual. In certain states, such as Califor- nia, Texas, and New Jersey, the proportion of students who speak multiple languages is closer to 50% of the population (Nhi Giang & Park, 2023). Besides English, there are between 350 to 430 other languages spoken in our country with Spanish is the most dominant. Indeed, other languages like Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Arabic have millions of speakers across our nation (Mon- sen & Gregory, 2023). Each of these languages brings unique nuances, cultures, value and purpose to families, children, and the educational context. Early childhood educators and researchers must utilize respectful and eq- uitable approaches to partner with multilingual commu- nities in meaningful ways. This Dialog Special Issue, Supporting Multilingual Chil- dren and Families in Early Childhood Spaces, invited manuscripts that addressed the strengths and needs of multilingual children and families through research, policy, preparation, or other initiatives. The Dialog is pleased to support an issue that highlights, celebrates, and encourages multilingual learning, especially in to- day’s political climate. This issue aims to highlight a handful of wonderful initiatives across the country to reach multilingual learners in the early years. Indeed, I know you will find many practical and actionable steps for early childhood educators and other professionals who seek to support multilingual children and families in early childhood spaces. The idea for this special issue came about as I heard about different initiatives to support multilingual learners and their families, such as that which Hamel and colleagues highlight in the first article, Situating Literacy-Rich En- gagements for Emergent Bilinguals. In their manuscript, the authors provide an overview of Camp Sunshine, a summer literacy program for emergent bilingual chil- dren ages 4-8 that positions bilingualism as an asset. Further practical application derived from their work is presented in their research to practice summary Creat- ing Inclusive Multilingual Spaces: A Literature-Based Framework for Supporting Young Emergent Bilinguals. Next, in Transition to Kindergarten for Preschoolers with Multilingual Abilities: Do Parents and Profes- sionals See Eye to Eye?, Macy and colleagues report the results of their mixed method study which sought to understand parental and professional assessment collab- oration during transition to kindergarten for preschool- ers who are learning multiple languages. Their work ex- amined the congruency between teachers and families of children who speak Spanish at home who are transition- ing from rural Head Start preschool into kindergarten and results highlight both similar views and meaningful discrepancies between parents and professionals. The authors discuss implications for creating positive and supportive transitions for preschoolers using an authen- tic and collaborative assessment approach with prioritiz- ing individualized strategies for children, their families, and professionals during the move to kindergarten. In their research to practice summary accompanying the research article, Edokhamhen leads the team in provid- ing research to practice connections by looking at several key challenges in assessing children during kindergarten transition, specific strategies for implementing authentic From the Guest Editor: Introduction to the Special Issue Bryndle L. Bottoms, Ph.D. University of South Carollina The Dialog: A Journal for Inclusive Early Childhood Professionals 2025, Volume 28, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.55370/thedialog.v28i1.2022 Contact: Bryndle L. Bottoms @ BBOTTOMS@mailbox.sc.edu Copyright © 2025 by the authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons. org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Dialog: A Journal for Inclusive Early Childhood Professionals 5 assessment with multilingual learners, and recommen- dations for program implementation. (See Using Parent and Teacher Authentic Assessment Results to Guide Preschool to Kindergarten Transition for Multilingual Learners). Finally, Sudduth and colleagues’ contribution, Nurturing Home Languages to Engage and Empower Multilingual Families in Early Childhood Education Settings, aims to integrate the concepts of empowerment, funds of identity, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and translanguaging into practical strategies for educators to establish and nurture engaging partnerships with multilingual children and families. They assert that establishing partnerships with families through linguistically appropriate family en- gagement efforts allows children to maintain their home languages while learning a new language, helps educa- tors teach each child effectively, and allows families to support their child’s education in the classroom, home, and community. To compliment their article, the re- search to practice summary led by Flannery, Embracing Multicultural and Multilingual Families: Transforming Education, Empowering Communities, draws from the frameworks detailed in their primary article to explore practices for cultivating inclusive learning environments through reflexive practices, culturally responsive litera- ture circles, authentic cultural celebrations, and family engagement initiatives. INTRODUCTION “Early childhood educators and researchers must utilize respectful and equitable approaches to partner with multilingual communities in meaningful ways.” The Dialog Vol28Iss01 for separating 4.pdf The Dialog Vol28Iss01 for separating 5.pdf