CRE #6: Háblame Bebé
Háblame Bebé: A phone application intervention to support Hispanic children’s early language environments and bilingualism
Melissa Baralt, Ashley Darcy Mahoney, Natalie Brito
The early language environments of low-income Hispanic children can be negatively affected when their Spanish-speaking caregivers face racism, assimilation pressure, and/or misinformed advice based on English-only ideologies. This article reports on the design and efficacy of Háblame Bebé, a language-promoting phone application that encourages low-income Hispanic mothers to talk more to their children in their native Spanish with the goals of (1) improving their children’s early language environment, (2) promoting bilingualism, and (3) monitoring developmental milestones.
