When we interviewed Patricia Gibson, you could just tell she had the joy of someone who’s found their calling. After 25+ years in early childhood education, you might think she’d seen it all. But this owner and director of a family child care center in Tennessee recently discovered new ways to boost her students’ communication skills. And confidence!

“I always used to babysit my younger nieces and nephews, and I always loved tutoring,” Patricia shared. When her factory job ended unexpectedly, she saw it as a sign. For Patricia, the decision was clear: Trade assembly lines for alphabet lines and open a child care center where she could watch her own family grow too.

“This was my confirmation,” she said. “It was time for me to let the factory go and just open up something in my field, so I could be here for my grandchildren.”

Patricia has created a space where young children thrive. Yet even with decades of experience under her belt, she discovered something surprising about her teaching style that changed everything.

The Story Behind the Numbers

Patricia thought she had story time figured out. She’d developed a familiar rhythm — read the book, ask a few questions, move on with the day. It was comfortable. It was routine. It worked… or so she thought.

In 2024, Patricia participated in a professional development program called LENA Grow, which shows teachers hour-by-hour data on how much they’re interacting with each child. And how to use that information to improve child outcomes and classroom quality.

When her coach pulled up the first LENA Grow report, Patricia couldn’t believe what she saw. The colorful report, surprisingly, indicated that story time showed the fewest conversational turns of her entire day! The activity she valued most revealed disappointing data.

This data made Patricia curious. With 25 years of experience, she could have easily dismissed the feedback. But, with LENA Grow, we find that data has a certain way of sparking creative solutions in the imaginations of early childhood educators! What if there were a better way to connect with her kids during the moments that mattered most?

Becoming a Story Champion

With her LENA Grow coach’s guidance, Patricia dove into LENA Grow’s 14 Talking Tips, transforming her approach to daily interactions.

Patricia morphed into what she calls a “sportscaster” for her kids, narrating their actions and inviting responses at every turn.

Story time underwent the most dramatic makeover. Gone were the days of simply reading words on a page. Patricia brought stories to life with props — like her “Pete the Cat” book character, complete with removable shoes. When police officers and firefighters visited her center, she connected these real-world experiences back to books, turning plain text into meaningful adventures.

During dramatic play, her toddlers became the sportscasters themselves, donning firefighter helmets and announcing, “It’s a fire! You gotta get out!” They had a newfound confidence that showed they weren’t just playing — they were processing and learning.

Little Voices, Big Changes

The transformation didn’t stop with Patricia’s teaching style. The changes touched each child in different ways.

One quiet boy barely spoke when he first arrived at Patricia’s center. Patricia never gave up on him, consistently including him in conversations despite his silence. With each LENA Day, she watched his confidence slowly bloom.

Another child stunned Patricia when he picked up “Pete the Cat” and announced, “I want to read to you.” As he “read” the story to his classmates — pointing at pictures and recalling words from memory — Patricia talks about how proud she was of him. Because more than learning words and reading, he was showing the class that he saw himself as capable and important.

Her one child with speech delays made progress as well. Though he still awaited formal speech therapy, Patricia adapted her approach. She would point to pictures, name objects clearly, and gently encourage him to repeat words. She gave him the tools to build confidence at his own pace.

And she could do this because she was given the tools and coaching she needed to help him. And all the children in her class!

When her coach checked the next LENA report, the results were unmistakable. “I don’t know what you did,” she told Patricia, “but your story time numbers have gone way up!”

The Power of Pausing

For Patricia, the most profound lesson from LENA Grow wasn’t about talking more. It was about listening better. It was about having intentional conversations and providing thoughtful responses. She learned to pause after asking questions. It gives children a chance to process what was said and respond. She practiced following up. Responding to their responses to keep the conversation flowing.

“Sometimes it takes children a little longer to respond,” Patricia reflects. “You pause a little longer, and I noticed they would talk more. Their language and conversational skills grew.”

This simple shift sends powerful messages to children. It shows them that their thoughts matter. They have value. And it conveys that adults believe a child has something important to say.

The children’s growing confidence spilled into every aspect of classroom life. They became storytellers, problem-solvers, and even teachers themselves. Patricia noticed that they took turns reading to each other, started creating their own stories about familiar books, and began connecting classroom experiences to their expanding world.

The children in her classroom were becoming confident people. They were building the self-esteem children need to learn, grow, and thrive!

Building Confidence, One Conversation at a Time

What advice would Patricia give new LENA Grow teachers? “Give children more time to respond,” she insists. “Pause a little longer — their language skills will grow.”

Patricia is one of more than 500 early childhood educators to have participated in LENA Grow through LENA’s partnership with Signal Centers, a managing partner of the Tennessee Child Care Resource and Referral Network.

Five weeks with LENA transformed Patricia’s classroom from a place where story time lagged to her proudest teaching moment. Her coach’s final assessment confirmed what Patricia already felt: Her classroom now ranked among the highest for conversational turns in the program.

Want to support confidence-building and language development in early childhood education? Learn more about how LENA Grow can transform teaching practices at lena.org/lena-grow.