Two independent program evaluations of LENA Grow have established the program as evidence-based professional development. See the highlights from the webinar here.
LENA - Building brains through early talk
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Every interaction counts.
“Mae Mae’s House”: One teacher’s story behind an evaluation of LENA Grow in Milwaukee
In this video, a long-time preschool teacher in Milwaukee reflects on LENA Grow and what motivates her dedication to the profession.
Bridging research and practice in early childhood education: SproutFive’s independent evaluation of LENA Grow
True to their commitment to bridging research and practice, SproutFive embarked on an independent evaluation of LENA Grow soon after implementing the program.
New research links early vocabulary skills to teacher-child interaction in preschool classrooms
“For all of us who care about the millions of children who spend most of their waking hours in child care, this is a call to action,” said Dr. Jill Gilkerson, Chief Research and Evaluation Officer at LENA.
Changing the conversation: How we’re thinking about building impact in early childhood
By year’s end, LENA technology will have measured 20 million conversational turns on 90,000 LENA Days. But that’s only part of the story, and it’s where we go from there that we’re focusing on now.
Sounding the alarm about young children’s language development: A look back at our most viewed content of 2022
A look back at some of the blog posts and webinars that attracted the most eyes and ears in 2022.
Improving early childhood through locally focused philanthropic partnerships
When it comes to accelerating the growth of LENA programs, place-based philanthropic support is critical.
New data analysis: One in five children in child care spends most of the day in language isolation
According to LENA’s recent analysis of day-long audio recordings from 15,820 children, approximately one in five children spent most of the day in language isolation.
Classroom interaction and teacher experience: Relationships between conversational turn rates and years of experience in child care
While more experienced teachers foster more interactive talk in their classrooms, participating in LENA Grow helps less experienced teachers catch up.
Early literacy and early talk: Webinar highlights featuring author Maya Smart
In a recent webinar, author Maya Payne Smart shared her vision for our “collective power to raise our readers well.”
Providence Talks Replication: A renewed commitment to quality child care in Virginia Beach
“Investing in our youngest citizens at birth and continuing to do so throughout their school years makes smart economic sense,” says Virginia Beach GrowSmart coordinator Barbara Lito.
Providence Talks Replication: From participant to program director in Detroit
Victoria Washington went from LENA Start participant to Director of Brilliant Detroit’s 313Speaks program.
Providence Talks Replication: Sustaining growth and “working toward yes” in Birmingham
Having nearly quadrupled their reach in just three years’ time, Birmingham Talks is focused on a bright future.
Providence Talks Replication: Building city-wide impact one family at a time in Hartford
Entering its fourth year, Hartford Talks is focusing on families. Here are two families’ LENA stories.
Research shows links between LENA Grow participation and social-emotional growth
Analyses reveal strong evidence that LENA Grow may give children’s social-emotional development a boost.
Research Roundup: NICU interventions enhance interactive talk with premature babies
Two recent publications from researchers at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island highlight the promise of interventions aimed at increasing preterm infants’ exposure to adult interaction in the NICU.
How LENA Grow teaches a coach to be a better coach
Seven ways LENA Grow has helped me help teachers take active charge of their own learning.
QRIS and interaction: Do quality rating systems reflect individual experience?
Data analysis suggests that approximately 1 in 4 children experiences very little adult-child interaction, even within classrooms at centers that have achieved the highest QRIS rating possible.
Announcing new enhancements to LENA Grow: Easy, inclusive, equitable
LENA Grow is designed to make every interaction count in early childhood education. The new enhancements make it easy, inclusive, and equitable.
“1, 2, 3 Talk with Me”: One mother’s story of completing Virtual LENA Start
Working from home while caring for a baby is an all-too-familiar juggling act these days. A mom in Phoenix tells her story of how LENA Start helped.
Postpartum depression and early talk: My experience
What can you do to ensure you’re supporting parents experiencing perinatal mood or anxiety disorders?
Developmental Snapshot analysis shows that LENA Start’s benefits endure for two years
For children who began LENA Start at risk for language delays, the results are especially encouraging.
Webinar follow-up and reflections: Do COVID babies “talk” less?
Highlights and topics that emerged from our webinar on caregiver-child interactions during COVID with Dr. Sean Deoni and Dr. Jill Gilkerson.
Survey results suggest LENA Grow improves educators’ professional outlook
Does LENA Grow help early childhood educators increase self-efficacy and job satisfaction as professionals who play a critical role in children’s lives?