This study created and validated the Early Language Leadership Attitude instrument in order to understand elementary principals' attitudes towards early start language programs in the state of Connecticut. The Early Language Leadership Attitude instrument assesses attitudes towards early start language programming with 8 items. The 5-point Likert Scale instrument measures support for each of the instrument items with a range from 1 = strongly against, 2 = against, 3 = unsure, 4 = support, and 5 = strongly support. Validity of the Early Language Leadership Attitude instrument was established using principles from Gehlbach and Brinkworth (2011); Ayre and Scally (2017); Lawshe (1975). Reliability of the ELLA instrument was not proven in this study. The complexity of elementary principals' roles as educational leaders, gatekeepers, and program advocates, necessitated a mixed-methods approach in order to explore and explain the correlation between personal attitudes towards access to language learning and overall cultural intelligence. This mixed-methods explanatory study measured participants' overall cultural intelligence on the Short Form Cultural Intelligence scale (Thomas et al., 2015) as well as their attitudes towards early start language programming on the Early Language Leadership Attitude instrument. Using one-on-one interviews, participants' different cultural beliefs and life experiences with language learning were then brought into the study to further explore the relationships between cultural intelligence and attitudes towards early start language programming in the quantitative data. This study used cultural intelligence theory as the theoretical framework, providing insight into how elementary principals could be supported as they advocate for, and implement early start language programming. Elementary principals had overall high levels of cultural intelligence and supported access to early start language programming as evidenced by both the quantitative and qualitative data. The iterative process of developing cultural intelligence over time through repeated multicultural communications and interactions (Thomas & Inkson, 2017) was also identified as positive. Access to early start language programming may benefit students in all three components of cultural intelligence -- knowledge, behavior, and mindfulness, ensuring graduates are well equipped to work in a global society, and able to earn the Seal of Biliteracy (Ang & Van Dyne, 2008; Samovar et al., 2017; Thomas & Inkson, 2017). [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]