Early Childhood Communities as Bilingual and Bicultural Assets¹

In this chapter, we focus on a group of families who became engaged in school events where their interactions centered on Spanish, bilingualism, and multicultural backgrounds. Formed by parents of preschool children (four- and five-year-olds) and the elementary grades, these parents nurtured a sense of belonging at the Reggio-Inspired Community School by voicing, bilingually, their concerns and hopes for their children and others around them. Through examples from participation at various school and community events, we illustrate how native language and biculturalism were regarded as and translated into educational assets within a partnership that developed among teachers, participating family members, and researchers. Together, the community and network of early childhood educators and elementary teachers with children’s families in the Zona de Promesa (ZdP) built an environment where bilingualism and multiculturalism were recognized and translated into assets.