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The recently released Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five Systems-Building Grant asks you to “develop a shared, comprehensive statewide vision for early care and education.”
LENA’s research into early childhood education language environments has already informed states’ strategic visions. If kindergarten readiness, early literacy, program quality, and workforce development and retention factor into your state’s vision, please consider us thought partners as you complete your application.
For more information about incorporating LENA data and research findings into your PDG B-5 application, please contact Jodi Whiteman, Senior Director of Partnerships, at jodiwhiteman@lena.org.
The Importance of Including Teacher-Child Interactions in Your Strategic Vision
A large body of peer-reviewed research has linked conversational turns to optimal early childhood development in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. This includes language1 and literacy2 development, brain structure and function,3 and IQ scores and academic skills in middle school.4
LENA data show that interaction deficits are systemic. Children in early learning settings experience substantially fewer conversational turns than those at home. For children in low-SES zip codes, the gap is even greater. This supports the need to assess and incorporate teacher-child interactions into statewide plans.
Many states are currently adopting assessments and supports that focus on teacher-child interactions. Embedding LENA metrics improves kindergarten readiness,5 early literacy assessment scores,6 educator retention,7 and program quality.8 This is true cross different program types, such as Head Start, private child care, and pre-K, reinforcing a cohesive approach to professional development.
LENA Grow National Impact Report
The LENA Grow National Impact Report demonstrates how embedding teacher-child interaction metrics within early childhood systems leads to measurable improvements in practice and outcomes. For states developing PDG B-5 strategic plans, these findings provide baseline data and proven strategies to address systemic gaps in teacher-child interactions. Incorporating LENA metrics into needs assessments and outcome strategies aligns with Critical Element 1 by:
- Identifying disparities in teacher-child interactions
- Informing actionable steps to improve kindergarten readiness and program quality
- Supporting cohesive approaches across Head Start, child care, family child care, and pre-K settings
LENA Grow National Impact Report, 2018-2025
References
1 Duncan, R. J., Anderson, K. L., King, Y. A., Finders, J. K., Schmitt, S. A., & Purpura, D. J. (2022). Predictors of preschool language environments and their relations to children’s vocabulary. Infant and Child Development, 32(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2381
2 Weiss, Y., Huber, E., Ferjan Ramírez, N., Corrigan, N. M., Yarnykh, V. L., & Kuhl, P. K. (2022). Language input in late infancy scaffolds emergent literacy skills and predicts reading related white matter development. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2022.922552
3 Romeo, R. R., Segaran, J., Leonard, J. A., Robinson, S. T., West, M. R., Mackey, A. P., Yendiki, A., Rowe, M. L., & Gabrieli, J. D. E. (2018). Language exposure relates to structural neural connectivity in childhood. The Journal of Neuroscience, 38(36), 7870–7877. https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.0484-18.2018
4 Gilkerson, J., Richards, J. A., Warren, S. F., Oller, D. K., Russo, R., & Vohr, B. (2018). Language experience in the second year of life and Language Outcomes in late childhood. Pediatrics, 142(4). https://doi.org/10.1542/ peds.2017-4276
5 Govoni, P. (2025). LENA Grow’s Impact on Children’s Kindergarten Readiness [White Paper]. https://www.lena.org/resources/white-papers/lena-grows-impact-on-childrens-kindergarten-readiness/
6 Govoni, P. (2025). LENA Grow and Early Literacy [White Paper]. https://www.lena.org/resources/white-papers/lena-grow-and-early-literacy/
7 LENA Foundation (2025). Teacher Experience, Training, and Conversational Turns [Research Report]. https://www.lena.org/resources/research-reports/teacher-experience-training-and-conversational-turns/
8 LENA Foundation (2025). LENA Grow’s Impact on CLASS® Scores [Research Report]. https://www.lena.org/resources/research-reports/lena-grows-impact-on-class-scores/
Interaction in Early Childhood Education: A Snapshot
Wide disparities exist between settings
Between 25 and 36 months of age, children in home settings experience an average of 40 conversational turns per hour, more than double what children in child care centers experience.
The differences between home and child care settings are particularly large at 18-24 months, the very age window that best predicts long-term outcomes.
Source: Gilkerson, J. (2022). Comparing Language Interactions in Family Child Care, Early Head Start and Center-Based Child Care: Establishing Benchmarks for Increasing Equity and Supporting Workforce Competencies [Poster]. National Research Conference on Early Childhood.
Source: LENA Foundation (2025). From Isolation to Interaction: A Data-Driven Path Forward [Research Report]. https://lena.org/resources/research-reports/language-isolation
1 in 8 children experiences language isolation
LENA’s researchers describe a child as experiencing language isolation if they engage in fewer than five conversational turns per hour for all but the single hour during which the most conversational turns occurred. That means they may experience more interaction at one specific time of the day, such as arrival time or lunch time. Otherwise, they experience almost no interaction with a teacher throughout the day.
Children are just as likely to experience language isolation as they are to experience optimal interaction levels (40+ turns per hour).
Socioeconomic status predicts child care language environments
Children living in low-SES neighborhoods engage in fewer conversational turns than children living in high-SES neighborhoods. Though this SES effect in child care occurs across all age groups, it is most prominent in the 18-24 month age group.
Source: Gilkerson, J. (2022). Comparing Language Interactions in Family Child Care, Early Head Start and Center-Based Child Care: Establishing Benchmarks for Increasing Equity and Supporting Workforce Competencies [Poster]. National Research Conference on Early Childhood.
Dual language learners experience less interaction
In toddler and preschool classrooms with only monolingual, English-speaking teachers, DLL children experience much less interaction than their monolingual peers.
Source: LENA Foundation (2025). Dual Language Learners in Early Childhood Education: What the Data Shows and What We Can Do About It [Research Report]. https://lena.org/resources/research-reports/dual-language-learners
LENA Grow Alignment With
PDG B-5 Critical Elements
The LENA Grow professional development program delivers a single, straightforward, evidence-based solution to making responsive interactions the bedrock on which program quality and consistency are built. That solution: A laser focus on teacher-child interactions, or what we call “conversational turns.”
Evidence of LENA Grow’s effectiveness is available at: https://lena.org/effectiveness.
Critical Element 1: Needs Assessment & Strategic Plan
LENA Grow can be used to identify gaps in teacher-child interaction quality, especially in programs serving vulnerable populations. Its data can inform the statewide strategic plan by highlighting areas for targeted professional development and system investment.
Critical Element 2: Strategies to Advance Program Priorities
LENA Grow can be embedded into a statewide PD framework, aligning with Head Start and other initiatives to unify workforce development across delivery models, including child care, family child care, and public preschool settings. By improving educator effectiveness and retention, LENA Grow contributes to long-term program sustainability and workforce stability. LENA Grow generates actionable, real-time data on classroom- and child-level interactions, which can be integrated into state data systems to track progress and inform policy.
Critical Element 3: Tracking Project Impact
LENA Grow provides quantitative metrics (e.g., conversational turns, coaching fidelity) at the classroom, program, and state level that align with PDG B-5’s emphasis on measurable outcomes and continuous improvement.
About LENA
LENA is a national nonprofit on a mission to transform children’s futures through early talk technology and data-driven programs.
Too many children miss out on the brain-building serve-and-return interactions, or conversational turns, they need during the critical first five years. At LENA, we believe this is one of early childhood’s most solvable challenges.