In this study 44 undergraduate students in a language development course participated in service learning with preschool homeless and low-income children as a course requirement. Students completed a survey, questionnaires, reflective journaling, and small-group debriefing sessions. Based on current views on brain-based learning from cortical functioning and dynamic systems perspectives, students learned from the experiences in four main ways. They benefited from multisensory experiences and related problem solving, changes in their attitudes and beliefs, application of classroom information and related learning, and emotional learning.