Reimagining Early Childhood Education

Early childhood teacher education remains largely monolingual despite growing linguistic superdiversity in classrooms worldwide. This chapter examines the gap between classroom realities and teacher preparation programs, drawing on bilingual acquisition research, translanguaging pedagogies, and inclusive assessment practices. Grounded in phonetic case studies with bilingual twins and interviews with early childhood educators in Indian Ocean creole contexts, the chapter argues that multilingual competence should be foundational to professional preparation rather than a peripheral specialization. A six-domain competency framework is proposed, spanning phonetic literacy, translanguaging pedagogy, critical language awareness, responsive assessment, family engagement, and reflective practice. Case illustrations from Mauritius and francophone Africa, alongside curriculum recommendations for pre-service and in-service education, guide teacher educators and policymakers seeking to reorient programs around linguistic diversity as a resource rather than a deficit.