After-school programs have become some of the most critical learning environments for multilingual and marginalized youth, yet they rarely leverage the very tools research shows are most effective for recovery, connection, and academic growth: bilingualism and trauma-informed practice. Across the United States, after-school programs serve students navigating stress, displacement, interrupted schooling, and long-standing inequities, but few intentionally combine trauma-informed strategies with multilingual, heritage-affirming approaches.
Step into almost any after-school space and a common pattern emerges—students shift fluidly between languages as they collaborate, solve problems, and make sense of their day. For many, the moment they feel most at ease comes after the bell, when they can speak naturally, ask questions without fear, and freely use the languages that carry their emotions and identities. These moments are powerful, but they tend to arise by chance rather than through intentional design.
A growing body of research from trauma studies, multilingual education, and Indigenous scholarship shows that deliberately integrating bilingual practices into after-school settings strengthens literacy, emotional safety, and cultural identity—benefits that extend to both students and educators. As technology continues to expand what’s possible in out-of-school-time programs, the field now has an opportunity—and a responsibility—to intentionally harness the power of bilingualism as a component of trauma-informed care.
The Case for Bilingualism as Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma-informed education rests on principles of predictability, belonging, empowerment, and connection (Avery et al., 2020), and these foundations align naturally with bilingual and translanguaging practices. Translanguaging—letting students think, speak, read, and respond using all their languages—creates low-stress learning pathways and reduces cognitive load (Song, 2022; Crossman, 2024). When students can answer in their home languages, they regain a sense of agency and control, which directly supports trauma recovery. When students are free to answer in their home language, they regain a sense of agency—an essential component of trauma recovery—while also strengthening trust and relational safety with adults. Trauma-informed multilingual classrooms reduce hypervigilance, healing parasympathetic nervous system responses, and improve student-teacher trust, creating a foundation for emotional regulation and positive relationships (Crossman, 2024). These benefits extend to adult learners as well: studies of trauma-informed adult ESL instruction demonstrate that language affirmation supports neurological readiness for learning and stabilization (Wilson et al., 2024).
This alignment becomes even more powerful in the context of heritage and Indigenous language learning. Research consistently shows that reconnecting with ancestral languages is not only academically beneficial but also profoundly healing. Restoring access to these languages addresses historical and collective trauma by reinforcing cultural continuity and affirming identity (McKenzie, 2022; Bergier & Anderson, 2021). As the Tribal College Journal (2023) notes, language revitalization efforts can “transform grief into growth,” illustrating how bilingual and heritage-affirming practices foster intergenerational resilience, empowerment, and community wellbeing.
Why After-School Programs Are the Ideal Setting
After-school environments offer what many school-day classrooms cannot: flexible, student-centered, low-stakes time for experimentation. This freedom makes them ideal incubators for approaches that weave together social-emotional learning and culturally responsive practice. As the Afterschool Alliance (2019, 2023) notes, out-of-school-time programs are uniquely positioned to innovate in ways that honor students’ cultural and linguistic assets. In practice, this flexibility allows programs to pilot bilingual story circles, dual-language book clubs, translanguaging-rich tutoring sessions, and family literacy nights—especially when supported by tools such as iBlossom’s multilingual story library.
This innovation is strengthened by the deep community roots that after-school programs tend to maintain. Family engagement is essential for both literacy development and trauma recovery (Alaska Department of Education, 2022), and bilingual initiatives help reconnect school and home languages in ways that validate family knowledge and reinforce students’ identities. A strong sense of identity leads to confidence and security within one’s self, which acts as a protective factor against childhood adverse experiences.
At the same time, these efforts address systemic issues that shape multilingual learners’ experiences. Research shows that Indigenous and heritage-language speakers are frequently misidentified or rendered invisible within English learner classifications (Umansky et al., 2022). By creating intentional bilingual spaces, after-school programs can correct those erasures, ensuring that students’ cultural and linguistic identities are recognized and affirmed.
Importantly, these benefits extend beyond students. Trauma-informed bilingual programming also supports educators, who often experience vicarious trauma and burnout when working with multilingual learners under high-pressure conditions (Scarff et al., 2023). When programs honor students’ linguistic and cultural backgrounds, they strengthen educators’ own sense of purpose, align daily practice with professional values, and help reduce stress—contributing to greater sustainability and wellbeing among staff.
Together, these elements illustrate how culture, wellness, and literacy are deeply interconnected in after-school settings. Literacy growth supports emotional wellbeing; wellbeing reinforces identity; and strong cultural identity, in turn, fuels engagement and learning.
Putting It Into Practice — Bilingual Wellness in Action
Creating trauma informed bilingual environments requires after-school programs to adopt models that treat bilingualism as essential to literacy, identity, and wellbeing. Translanguaging software makes this shift practical and scalable, giving educators the tools to offer consistent, culturally responsive support across languages. A number of elements can be included in afterschool programs to make them more multilingual and more trauma-informed:
1. Dual-Language Story Clubs.
Students read or listen to stories in English and a heritage language, then reflect on themes such as belonging, identity, resilience, or family traditions. Translanguaging tools make this possible by allowing the same story to shift languages instantly, helping facilitators differentiate instruction and giving students low-pressure opportunities to move fluidly between languages as they process emotions and ideas.
2. “Language as Bridge” Circles.
Family members participate in bilingual read-alouds or cultural exchange evenings that highlight the strengths of home languages. Software that displays text and audio in multiple languages supports shared reading across proficiency levels, allowing caregivers, siblings, and grandparents to contribute in the language they are most comfortable using—strengthening intergenerational trust and connection.
3. Educator Wellness Workshops.
Facilitators explore trauma-informed, multilingual pedagogies grounded in frameworks from Song (2022), WIDA (2024), and Avery et al. (2020), with guided reflection on how language and identity shape their work. Translanguaging tools give educators concrete examples to practice with—showing how multilingual text, audio scaffolds, and translation sliders can lower stress for learners and help teachers feel more aligned with their professional values.
4. Data Tracking and Reflection.
Avery et al. (2020) recommend multi-tiered indicators for assessing trauma-informed implementation. OST programs can adapt these measures to track literacy gains, cultural engagement, and students’ sense of belonging over time. Because translanguaging platforms log usage data, language choices, and engagement moments, they offer a more precise picture of how multilingual practices support both academic and emotional growth.
After-school hours can become sacred spaces—places where young people decompress, rediscover joy, and engage with the languages that give shape to who they are. Intentional bilingual programming strengthens literacy, nurtures emotional safety, and reconnects students with the cultural worlds that sustain them.
iBlossom’s bilingual story library and multilingual engagement tools are uniquely positioned to support this work. As programs across the country prepare for 2025, now is the moment to pilot “Language as Care” initiatives that honor every child’s full linguistic identity and create after-school environments where healing and learning go hand in hand.
When students’ home languages echo through their classrooms—and through their after-school halls—we are not just teaching literacy. We are teaching belonging.
