The English language learner (ELL) population is one of the fastest growing populations in the United States (Castro, 2014; Guzman‐Orth et al., 2017). One in five children in the United States speaks a language other than English in the home (Liu et al., 2008). This statistic suggests that many children will be entering early childhood education program settings with a primary language other than English. The majority of educators in early childhood education are monolinguals, and even with a bilingual teaching assistant, many educators do not know how to incorporate that resource in their instructional practices (Castro et al., 2011). Participation in dual language programs is beneficial to literacy and language development in ELLs; however, a challenge to participation in high quality preschool programs is access, as these preschool programs are not universally free across the United States (Guzman-Orth et al., 2017). This article provides information and research on early childhood second language acquisition and development, teacher preparation and strategies for teaching ELL children, and special education assessments and services as they pertain to ELL students. (author abstract)