Supporting multilingualism: What parents think and what we should do as a community

Due to increased global mobility and the unprecedented forces of globalisation, the world has become increasingly diverse. We are all witnesses to social, cultural, ethnic, and linguistic diversity in schools and early childhood services. Research on multilingualism and multiculturalism in primary and secondary school settings is well documented (e.g. Baker & Wright, 2021; Esau, 2014; Krajewski, 2011; Rowan et al., 2017). Nonetheless, there is scant research in early childhood education and care (ECEC) that informs early childhood educators’ pedagogical practice to respond to the cultural and linguistically diverse needs of children.