Every rural school district has its defining features and challenges, but they all share a common opportunity: boosting early talk and getting a jump start on school readiness.
LENA - Building brains through early talk
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Every interaction counts.
Study finds causal link between conversational turns and socioemotional development in babies
Researchers in Santiago, Chile, have used LENA technology to show important connections between conversational turns and socioemotional development in very young children.
How to build staff buy-in in early learning environments
For early childhood education leaders, getting staff buy-in is an essential part of launching a program like LENA Grow or LENA Start.
Celebrating AAPI Heritage: Building community and connecting to culture in Hawaiʻi
In recognition of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we’re highlighting two LENA Start programs in Hawaiʻi that are doing amazing work around cultural responsivenss.
Q & A: How autism researchers are using LENA technology for early detection and intervention
University researchers who are using LENA technology share their perspectives on current and future autism research.
Turning children’s books into conversation starters
In recognition of World Book Day and Children’s Book Week, here are some tips for turning read-aloud time into interactive conversation time.
For early childhood education, Women’s History Month must be more than a “Hallmark holiday”
The American Rescue Plan Act acknowledges an “acute, immediate child care crisis.” Women in early childhood education deserve dignity and prosperity.
Coaching for impact in Sarasota County
An organization in Florida saw some amazing results in their very first LENA Grow classrooms. They want those results to have a positive impact on the whole community.
Reflections of a former family child care provider
There’s no shortage of resources out there for family child care providers, but extra time in the day is not one of them.
Engaging families in LENA Grow
Family engagement is one of the most important parts of any child care professional’s job. We’ve created a Family Engagement Toolkit to help our LENA Grow partners.
Early brain development in infants and toddlers: Six simple strategies
Early brain development depends so much on having back-and-forth conversations, even for infants and toddlers. Here are six tips to help you talk more!
Inside Early Talk: Our point of greatest leverage for improving children’s futures
LENA has collected and analyzed its most expansive data set to date through the 10,000 children annually impacted by our programs for families and early childhood teachers.
Reflections honoring Black History Month
Two of our partners share their thoughts on the importance of Black History Month and how they integrate their personal beliefs into their professional work.
Parents on virtual LENA Start classes: “Now I know 10 families when I drop my kids off at school.”
The virtual format offered families a powerful opportunity to connect when they otherwise couldn’t during the pandemic.
New data reveals virtual LENA Start classes offer same benefits to families as in-person classes
The virtual participants showed similar gains to pre-pandemic, in-person groups, with lower-talk families increasing conversational turns with their children by 12 percentile points and adult words by 35 percentile points.
Launch Fund Grant Recipients 2020 Pt 2. – Welcome to our new partners!
Through our philanthropic partnerships, LENA awarded more than $525,000 in launch grants in 2020. We’d love to introduce you to our newest partners!
Five best practices for parent recruitment and retention (virtually or in person)
Explore key learnings on how community programs can recruit and retain families.
Year in review: Looking back at progress in the midst of a pandemic
2020 wasn’t the year we planned for. Yet, we’ve adapted, and the pivots have had impressive outcomes.
How researchers have adapted to continue using LENA SP during the pandemic
Two teams share how they’ve adapted their data-collection process to continue their studies.
Q & A: How a philanthropic investment in LENA advanced the early childhood portfolio of the Overdeck Family Foundation
We sat down with Carly Roberts, Program Officer, Early Impact at Overdeck Family Foundation, to learn more about why the foundation invested in LENA and what’s surprised them along the way.
Celebrate Good Times, Come On: Virtual Ways to Acknowledge Your Families, Teachers, and Teams
It can be easy to plug away at tasks and deadlines without taking time to pause and acknowledge accomplishments. Celebrating the small and big wins within your program is crucial to the health of your community.
How to make video calls more engaging for infants and toddlers
Explore tips and strategies for making video calls more interactive for young children.
Virginia Beach adapts to virtual programming to boost child outcomes, reduce caregiver stress
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, the team in Virginia Beach knew that they couldn’t afford to wait to transition to virtual programming for families and teachers.
Virtual retention: Strategies for keeping families engaged in a community program
There are intentional methods you can integrate within your virtual communication to cultivate a space that welcomes vulnerability, trust, and collaborative participation.