This article highlights the centrality of language in early childhood development and the potential for language delays to negatively impact long-term outcomes in educational and social domains. Given the high rate of language delays in the foster care population, an emphasis should be placed on assessing language skills among children age 6 and younger entering foster care. We describe several existing approaches to assessing language skills and discuss barriers to the widespread implementation of systematic evaluation among foster children. Finally, we discuss the need for research and programming to establish evidence-based practices that encourage the remediation of language delays in this highly vulnerable population.