Early Childhood Professional Learning (ECPL) through a partnership with WIDA Early Years is able to offer the early care and education (ECE) community in Illinois free access to online professional learning resources that focus on supporting young multilingual children in ECE settings. Multilingual children, commonly referred to as dual language learners, are young children who are growing up learning and developing more than one language.
WIDA Early Years eLearning offers self-paced, interactive modules that provide opportunities for reflection and offer suggestions for applying content to local practice. Up to five hours of ISBE and/or Gateways credit is available.
These eLearning offerings serve as a resource for staff. For example, the modules can be:
- used in staff development sessions
- shared with individual educators
- offered to professional learning communities
WIDA Early Years eLearning Flyer
WIDA Early Years eLearning FAQs
In addition to self-paced modules, WIDA Early Years eLearning also provides exclusive access to Are We Ready? What K-12 Educators Can Do to Support Young Multilingual Children.
Are We Ready? promotes collaboration among early care and education (ECE) professionals and K-3 educators and offers recommendations for supporting multilingual children and their families as they transition from ECE settings to Kindergarten. Resources include a 30-minute online webinar, a handout with questions to guide self-reflection, and a webinar companion guide that offers practical ideas and sample tools.
Registration and Access to WIDA Early Learning eLearning
Instructions for Creating User Accounts and Registering
Look What I Can Do! Language-Focused Toolkit for Early Childhood Programs Flyer