Abstract
This article addresses bilingual early childhood education and care (ECEC) as an environment for second language learning. Bilingual education is planned teaching of educational content in two (or more) languages in a ECEC unit or school. One of the languages is usually a new language (second language, target language) to the participating children. In Finland, bilingual education can be either large-scale (over 25% in the target language) or small-scale (under 25% in the target language). This article first discusses the concept of bilingual ECEC and how it is stipulated in the National ECEC Core Curriculum in Finland. It then reflects the characteristics of ECEC and bilingual ECEC, in particular, by addressing issues of operational culture, learning environment and language practices.
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