**You’re reasonable to want a clear plan for your daughter’s learning. But a Spanish-heavy kindergarten classroom, by itself, is not a reason to assume she’ll fall behind or fail to learn English reading and writing.**

Some dual-language programs deliberately start with most instruction in Spanish and increase English instruction over later grades. They aim for literacy in both languages, and some enroll children who start with little Spanish. Your daughter doesn’t necessarily need fluent Spanish to begin; the program needs to be designed to support her current level. [California Department of Education](https://www.cde.ca.gov/SP/ML/edgedli.asp)

There is reassuring evidence: a lottery-based study in Portland found that students assigned to dual-language programs had stronger English reading results by fifth and eighth grade, without significant disadvantages in math or science. That supports the approach, but it doesn’t guarantee the quality of this particular classroom or tell you what her English reading will look like this year. [RAND research brief](https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_briefs/RB9900/RB9903/RAND_RB9903.pdf)

**The next step is to get specifics from the teacher and the school’s bilingual-program coordinator.** “I’ll help her” is reassuring, but you need to know how. Ask:

- **What kind of program is this?** Is it dual-language immersion intended to develop reading and writing in both languages, or a different bilingual model?
- **When is English literacy explicitly taught?** What English reading and writing skills should she develop in kindergarten, and how does that change in later grades?
- **How will you support her limited Spanish?** Ask about pictures, demonstrations, routines, small groups, and ways to check that she understands.
- **What do Spanish-only assessments measure?** How will they distinguish difficulty understanding Spanish from difficulty understanding a concept? How will they track her progress in both languages?
- **When will we review her adjustment and progress?** Arrange an early check-in and ask what would trigger extra support.

At home, keep English reading enjoyable: read together, talk about stories, play with rhymes and letter sounds, and encourage drawing and simple writing. Your husband can share Spanish books and conversation. You can support both languages without turning evenings into another school day.

Watch whether she increasingly understands routines, participates, makes friends, and learns—not just whether Spanish initially feels hard. Persistent distress, inability to follow activities despite support, or little progress deserves a prompt meeting rather than indefinite reassurance.

With your husband, you might say: **“I want her to be bilingual too. I need us to understand how the school will support her Spanish and teach her to read and write in English.”** That gives you a shared question to take to the school.

I wouldn’t request a transfer solely because most instruction is in Spanish. I would base that decision on the school’s literacy plan, the support it actually provides, and how your daughter responds.