García, Ramirez Oppose Trump’s Effort Requiring Head Start Programs to be English-Only

CHICAGO 一 Today, Congressman Jesús "Chuy" García (IL-04) and Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03) sent a letter to President Donald Trump strongly opposing the Trump administration's proposed rule that would require Head Start programs to deliver all educational instruction in English, regardless of a child's primary language or level of English proficiency. This decision undermines access to culturally and linguistically appropriate early childhood education for children and families across the United States, including Puerto Rico. The Trump administration is using Executive Order 14224, Designating English as the Official Language of the United States, as justification for the proposed rule changes.

"Head Start has long recognized that children learn best when educational programs reflect their developmental needs, home languages, and family experiences. For decades, Head Start programs have supported English language development while respecting the linguistic and cultural identities of the communities they serve," say the legislators in the letter. "Requiring English-only instruction would jeopardize these longstanding practices and undermine the program's mission of promoting school readiness and expanding educational opportunities for children from low-income families."

"While the executive order establishes English as the official language of the United States, it does not require federal agencies to eliminate multilingual services or educational approaches. Using this order to justify restrictions on home-language instruction would impose unnecessary barriers on the roughly 700,000 young children and their families who depend on Head Start," the letter states.

The letter emphasizes that "While the consequences of this proposal would be felt nationwide, its implications for Puerto Rico are especially concerning given the island's history with federally imposed English language instruction. Following the United States' invasion of Puerto Rico in 1898, federal authorities sought to impose English as the language of instruction in Puerto Rican schools. These efforts formed part of a broader campaign of colonial imposition and homogenization that Puerto Rican educators, parents, and communities resisted for generations."

"Learning English should open doors for children. It should never require them to abandon the language and culture that shape who they are," conclude the legislators in the letter.

A full copy of the letter can be found on thislink.

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