ABSTRACT
Before addressing the characteristics of the selected language models, it is useful to begin with an existing typology of bilingual education. Thus, I will start from a brief description of traditional classification of bilingual education models. This introduction will be followed by discussing current trends in ELE. Finally, a central section of the chapter will be dedicated to a concise overview of selected programs and to how they relate to early language learning within the ecology of the child’s development. Thus, I will zoom in on ELE programs that have been conceptualized and researched within the ecological approach, that regards the child and his or her parents, teachers, and peers as agents in interaction.
