ACTT Project Expands Bilingual Learning for Multilingual Children
In California, about 60% of young children come from households where a language other than English is spoken. Yet English monolingualism remains common in educational settings, leaving many multilingual children with limited access to learning materials that reflect their languages and cultures.
Cal Poly Pomona’s All Children Thrive through Translanguaging (ACTT) project, led by Soon Young Jang, associate professor of early childhood studies, is working to address this gap.
Supported by three consecutive grants from the Dr. Seuss Foundation, totaling $212,888, the project provides bilingual resources and experiences for multilingual children and families while preparing future educators to support diverse learners.
Through ACTT, CPP teacher candidates create bilingual books, songs, chants and literacy activities by drawing on their full linguistic repertoires, an approach known as translanguaging. The resources are then shared through the University Library’s bilingual story times and community-based story times, giving children opportunities to engage with literacy in ways that reflect their linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
“Language is deeply connected to identity,” Jang said. “When multilingual children see their languages and cultures represented in books and other literacy experiences, they receive the message that they belong and that their linguistic and cultural backgrounds are valued.”
The project also gives teacher candidates firsthand experience creating and sharing bilingual resources with children and families. Through this process, students develop practical strategies for supporting language and literacy development and creating inclusive learning environments.
“The project helps future educators become advocates for multilingual children and families in their own communities,” Jang said.
Many of ACTT’s bilingual educational resources are publicly available through the project’s website, extending its reach beyond CPP. The project has also provided workshops for teachers, families and early childhood education faculty, while its findings have been presented at international conferences and published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development.
Looking ahead, Jang hopes to expand ACTT by incorporating Indigenous languages and supporting language revitalization efforts, continuing the project’s work to recognize and sustain the diverse languages and cultures represented in classrooms.