Highlights and topics that emerged from our webinar on caregiver-child interactions during COVID with Dr. Sean Deoni and Dr. Jill Gilkerson.
LENA - Building brains through early talk
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Every interaction counts.
Expanding PD hours for early childhood educators participating in LENA Grow
We’re committed to maximizing LENA Grow’s impact on early educators’ careers. Expanding LENA Grow’s approval for professional development hours is an important part of that equation.
COVID-era infants vocalize less and experience fewer conversational turns, says LENA research team
COVID-era babies may be at greater risk of experiencing language delays.
Some of our favorite books for the 0-5 year olds in your life!
An assortment of the LENA Team’s favorite books, in honor of National Reading Month.
A teacher, a coach, and an administrator on LENA Grow’s impact: Webinar highlights
Highlights from a webinar where we hear directly from a teacher, coach, and administrator using LENA Grow.
Kindergarten readiness, parent education, and conversational turns: A statistically significant correlation in a rural South Carolina school district
A study out of Cherokee County, S.C., has found a correlation between parent participation in LENA programs and higher scores on the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment.
Parent recruitment for LENA Start and LENA Home: Recognizing and responding to barriers
A recent Community Conversation among our partners inspired these new ideas about recruiting families for programs like Start and Home.
Preliminary findings suggest LENA Grow accelerates language development
Children participating in LENA Grow gained nearly 1.5 months’ worth of language skill acquisition in just one month’s time, achieving developmental milestones at an accelerated rate.
5 steps to successful LENA Grow recruitment
How to talk with teachers, family child care providers, and center directors about participating in LENA Grow.
Reflections on 2021: Data that motivate, stories that inspire
Last year around this time, we wrote that “2020 wasn’t the year we planned for.” Has 2021 been any different? Has it been any more normal? Well, yes and no.
Talking with infants, structuring community partnerships, and more: A look back at our most popular content of 2021
A look back at some of the blog posts, webinars, reports, and resources that attracted the most eyes and ears in 2021.
LENA Grow updates are coming…So who’s behind the curtain?!
These 12 LENA Grow advisors are helping to implement big improvements to the program.
Q&A with Charlie Wolfson: Investing in children’s futures by investing in early talk
Arrow Impact is a private foundation supporting “initiatives that create pathways to economic prosperity for communities that have been marginalized and under-resourced.”
The positive impact of LENA Grow certification
LENA’s research team completed an analysis of the impact that certification has on teachers who participate in LENA Grow.
Reflective feedback in parenting interventions: Coming back to the “Why”
Programs like LENA Start and LENA Home can help parents reflect on their hopes and dreams and follow through on their goals.
A renewed emphasis on adult-child interactions in Texas
A recent change to the Texas Rising Star QRIS assigns more weight to the importance of adult-child interactions in early childhood programs.
With technology uptake, individual circumstance is everything
A study out of Australia has applied a unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model to LENA, underlining the importance of paying attention to parents’ individual circumstances.
Masked up and ready for conversational turns: Helpful hints to maximize interactions in early childhood classrooms
For early childhood teachers, wearing a mask and nurturing quality interactions may be at odds with each other.
Three moms share stories of their LENA Start experience
Survey results tell us that families’ enthusiasm for LENA Start has held steady more than a year into the pandemic. Three personal family stories show us why.
Research Roundup: Maternal depression and paternal parentese in the context of COVID
In the context of COVID, two studies put mothers, fathers, and the language environments they nurture in stark relief.
Australia’s LiLO study: Analysis of home language environments from birth to school
Researchers with the LiLO study have set out to measure children’s home language environments every six months from birth to school entrance.
“An eye-opening experience”: Survey shows overwhelming positivity for LENA Grow among teachers and coaches
According to survey data, 99% of teachers would recommend LENA Grow to other teachers, and 93% of coaches say the program has had a positive impact on their relationships with teachers.
New study links conversational turns with increases in children’s verbal and nonverbal abilities using brain imaging and LENA technology
A study from MIT and Harvard uses LENA technology to investigate how children’s brains changed following an early language intervention.
Why Pride is important to me
A LENA staff member shares his story of growing up gay in an unwelcoming school environment, and how he wants things to keep getting better.