Child Care Reporting--Child's Primary Language
While the California Department of Education continues to operate the California State Preschool Program, the Early Childhood Development Act of 2020 (Senate Bill (SB) 98, Chapter 24, Statutes of 2020) authorized the transfer of many childcare programs from the California Department of Education to the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) effective July 1, 2021. The content on this page may include programs that have moved to CDSS. For additional assistance you can either visit the CDSS Child Care Transition web page
or call 1-833-559-2420 for more information.
Child's Primary Language (CDD-801A only)
The Child’s Primary Language information field indicates the child’s primary language, which is identified by the Home Language Survey as the language first learned, most frequently used at home, or most frequently spoken by the parents or adults in the home.
Where to Find It
On the ELCD-9600, look in the box “Language Code” in in Section IV: Data on Children.
Rules and Guidelines
Report the child’s primary language. If the child speaks more than one language, select the language in which they are the most fluent. The languages and codes below are the same as those listed on the ELCD-9600.
- This information field is required.
- For agencies using the CDD-801A Electronic File Transfer function, enter the code associated with the child's primary language listed below.
- For agencies using the CDD-801A Input/Edit function, select the child's primary language from the dropdown list.
| Language | Code | Language | Code | Language | Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic | 11 | Hungarian | 24 | Punjabi | 28 |
Armenian |
12 | Ilocano | 25 | Russian | 29 |
| Assyrian | 42 | Indonesian | 26 | Rumanian | 45 |
| Burmese | 13 | Italian | 27 | Samoan | 30 |
| Cantonese | 03 | Japanese | 08 | Serbian | 31 |
| Cebuano (Visayan) | 36 | Khmer (Cambodian) | 09 | Serbo-Croatian | 52 |
| Chaldean | 54 | Khmu | 50 | Spanish | 01 |
| Chamarro (Guamanian) | 20 | Korean | 04 | Taiwanese | 46 |
| Chaozhou (Chaochow) | 39 | Kurdish | 51 | Thai | 32 |
| Croation | 14 | Lahu | 47 | Toishanese | 53 |
| Dutch | 15 | Lao | 10 | Tongan | 34 |
| English | 00 | Mandarin (Putonghua) | 07 | Turkish | 33 |
| Farsi (Persian) | 16 | Marshallese | 48 | Ukrainian | 38 |
| French | 17 | Mien | 44 | Urdu | 35 |
| German | 18 | Mixteco | 49 | Vietnamese | 02 |
Greek |
19 | Native American Languages | 88 | Other Languages of China | 55 |
| Gujarati | 43 | Pashto | 40 | Other Languages of the Philippines | 66 |
| Hebrew | 21 | Pilipino (Tagalong) | 05 | Other non-English | 99 |
| Hindi | 22 | Polish | 41 | N/A | N/A |
| Hmong | 23 | Portuguese | 06 | N/A | N/A |
Error Messages and Solutions
- “Child's Primary Language” must be a valid two digit language code. [801A Electronic File Transfer]
Problem: The information in the upload file for the Child's Primary Language is not a valid code.
Solution: Confirm a valid two-digit code from the list above is entered.
- Answer to Child's Primary Language is required. [801A Electronic File Transfer], [801A Input/Edit]
Problem: The question “Child's Primary Language” is not answered.
Solution: Confirm a primary language is selected for the child.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I know which is the primary language?
The box “Language Code” in Section IV: Data on Children of the ELCD-9600 should list the code for the primary language.
- What if the family files does not contain this information?
This information is required on the ELCD-9600. If this information is missing, contact the family to obtain the child’s primary language and update the information in the family file.
- What if the family indicates a primary language that is not listed?
If the language on the ELCD-9600 is not on the list, choose "Other non-English" for the child
Return to Appendix A: Data Definitions
