Roles of Teachers and Language Codes

Abstract

Facilitating the development of language is a key component in any early childhood program. While children typically enter a prekindergarten program at age three or four, teachers guide children in the development of a language system that will be applicable in later academic contexts. The American educational curriculum draws from the language codes of the middle class (Sadovnik 1991). Therefore, for young children who do not come from middle class families, learning language systems in prekindergarten becomes especially crucial for engagement in school later.