Abstract

There is an important consensus regarding how crucial early childhood for linguistic revitalization is. Although this evidence has been widely accepted, it has not been accompanied by an unequivocal emphasis and support for early childhood teacher education programs for endangered languages in Chile and Latin America. In general, little attention has been paid to early childhood educators and teachers, even more scant has been the support in terms of materials and economic resources. In this context, this talk highlights the crucial role of early childhood educators in the revitalization of native peoples' languages. We will also discuss the main successes and challenges in Chile and Latin America. Finally, we conclude with theoretical and methodological proposals and suggestions to improve early childhood teacher education for endangered languages in Latin America.