Experts warn that a federal proposal to enforce English-only instruction in Head Start programmes could weaken children’s bilingual development, contradicting research that supports multilingual learning as a key educational asset.
Martha Hernandez says an English-only rule for Head Start would mark a sharp break from what decades of research have shown about how young children learn a second language. The executive director of Californians Together, a coalition focused on multilingual learners, told Education Week that children make the strongest progress when schools build on the language they already speak at home rather than treating it as something to be set aside.
The debate matters because Head Start has long encouraged programmes to support bilingual instruction, especially for children who are learning English alongside another language. But under a proposed federal change, Head Start classrooms and services would be required to operate in English only. The proposal argues that the existing rule, which supports bilingual instruction, conflicts with President Donald Trump’s executive order declaring English the country’s official language.
Hernandez argued that home language is an educational strength, not a problem to be fixed. She said parents are a child’s first teachers and that multilingual families often use their strongest language to tell stories, explain ideas, build vocabulary and pass on culture. In her view, an English-only approach would push families towards a narrow, deficit-based model that could leave them worried that speaking their own language at home might hinder their children’s education.
Research cited by Stanford University points in the opposite direction. A 2014 Stanford study of programmes in the San Francisco Unified School District found that English learners did better in dual-language settings than in English immersion classrooms, suggesting that integrating a child’s home language can support both academic achievement and English development. The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development has likewise argued that bilingualism brings cognitive benefits and that schools should reject the idea that helping children keep their home language slows English acquisition.
The issue comes as Head Start faces a broader set of proposed federal changes. According to the Federal Register, the Department of Health and Human Services published a notice of proposed rule-making in May 2026 that included 112 changes to Head Start performance standards, part of a wider effort to reshape programme access and flexibility. The National Education Association has opposed the proposal, while the Healey-Driscoll administration in Massachusetts has also urged the Trump administration to reverse changes it says would make it harder to recruit and retain providers. For multilingual children, Hernandez said, the central question is not how quickly they are pushed away from their first language, but whether schools preserve the linguistic assets that help them succeed.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
