Languages Young Children Speak in Illinois
Are you interested in learning more about the languages young children speak in Illinois? Do you have questions about young children’s language development?
Languages Commonly Spoken in Illinois
A child’s first three years is the most intensive period for acquiring speech and language skills. A baby’s first words may come gradually or suddenly, or be barely recognizable, but no matter the language, these early efforts are often celebrated developmental milestones.
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Early words help babies interact with their caregivers and often have similar meaning across languages.
IECAM Resources
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Languages Spoken at Home
This webpage includes maps and lists of the top 30 languages spoken or being learned by children age 0-5 in Illinois.
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IECAM database
This tool helps users find the number of limited English-speaking households (“Spanish” and “other languages”) 2005 through 2019 (latest data available) by state, county, township, municipality, legislative districts, school district, zip, Chicago Community Area (CCA), and by ISBE and IDHS regions.
EI Clearinghouse Resources
The Illinois Early Intervention (EI) Clearinghouse identifies and collects research-based and best-practice early intervention information to share with families.
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Everyday Early Intervention: Encouraging Speech Development
This tip sheet lists activities to help promote speech development.
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How I Communicate
This tip sheet lists ways babies communicate with their care givers.
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Encouraging Bilingual Babies
This tip sheet answers questions and concerns about children learning more than one language at once.
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Supporting Language Development at Home
This resource guide lists books, videos, and information resources available from the EI Clearinghouse.
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Supporting Dual Language Learners in Early Childhood
This resource guide lists books, videos, and information resources available from the EI Clearinghouse.
IEL Project Resources
The Illinois Early Learning (IEL) Project is a source of evidence-based, reliable information on early care and education for families, caregivers, and teachers of young children in Illinois.
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Resources to Help Serve Dual Language Learners
This blog post is from IEL's Culturally Responsive Practices series.
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Helping DLLs Learn in Two Languages During Early Childhood
This blog post is from IEL's Culturally Responsive Practices series.
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Helping Preschoolers Learn in Two Languages
A tip sheet on how teachers who are not fluent in their preschoolers’ home languages can support young dual language learners.
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Helping Your Child Learn in Two Languages
A tip sheet listing ways that parents have helped young children keep their home language while learning English in school.
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Supporting the Literacy Development of Diverse Language Learners in Early Childhood Classrooms
This list contains a variety of resources associated with supporting the literacy of development of diverse language learners in early childhood classrooms.
If you are concerned about your child’s speech and language development, contact the Illinois Early Intervention program for a free evaluation. To find the office that serves your area call 800-843-6154 or visit the Illinois Department of Human Service’s Office Locator.