Planning to start or expand a K-8 critical language program? Looking for support in doing so? There "may" be help at the federal level for great ideas and strong programs. While there have been various pools of federal dollars available to support world language programs for a number of years, the federal government's interest in assuring strong K-16 language programs in the United States has strengthened in recent years. Many government agencies have begun to realize that having Americans who speak languages other than English is critical to the economic competitiveness and security of the nation. In 2006, President Bush announced the National Security Language Initiative (NSLI), an inter-agency effort coordinated by the White House involving the Departments of Defense, State, and Education "to dramatically increase the number of Americans learning, speaking, and teaching critical need foreign languages." Critical languages supported by NSLI are currently defined as Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Persian, Turkish, Swahili, and Urdu. Increased and in some cases newly focused federal money to support early programs in critical languages generally comes from two sources: (1) STARTALK (from Start Talking); and (2) Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP). In addition, collaborations with Flagship institutions offer opportunities for developing K-16 pathways to high levels of proficiency. (Contains 3 footnotes.)