This path-breaking book provides a convincing argument for the importance of children's home languages and the benefits of dual- and multi-language learning. A new classroom practice known as Linguistically Appropriate Practice (LAP) offers guidance for those working with young children who arrive in childcare centres and schools with little or no proficiency in the classroom language. Linguistically Appropriate Practice details over fifty classroom activities that can be adapted to match both the developmental level of the children and the classroom curriculum. Intended for childcare staff, health care providers, settlement workers, speech and language pathologists, kindergarten and primary grade teachers, family resource workers, and literacy specialists, this book is an essential resource for preparing young children for the complex communication and literacy demands of the twenty-first century.