Dr. Zimmerman explains his latest research into how environments and external factors affect population health and child development.
Matching funds support launch of new LENA Start sites nationwide
Over the last two years, LENA Start has quickly expanded into 35 communities across the United States and Canada. Read about our newest community partners launching LENA Start this fall through our ongoing matching funds opportunity.
From the archives: Conversations with adults boost child language development, study finds
UCLA professor Dr. Frederick Zimmerman explains his 2009 research which indicates conversational turns have unique power to boost child language development.
Four strategies one nonprofit uses to boost literacy citywide
Calgary Reads, a nonprofit in Alberta, Canada, uses LENA Start as a core component of their citywide strategy to boost early literacy in Calgary.
Thoughts on 15 years and the staying power of LENA
Reflecting on the past 15 years, Judi and I are struck once again by how much the team at LENA has achieved drawing from Terry’s first insights and ideas.
How coaches can help teachers take a deep dive into LENA data
Explore ideas and strategies to support teachers get the most out of their LENA reports and drive changes in interactive talk in the classroom.
A Message to Early Childhood Educators — We see you!
We see you washing paint off little fingers for the tenth time today. We see you using silly voices to make shared reading fun. And we see you putting your heart into your work.
Research Roundup: New information on infant language acquisition
Read summaries of three newly-published studies exploring how young children develop and acquire language.
Wisconsin health care company offers parenting classes as employee benefit
In a state where 77 percent of employers report having trouble finding employees, North Central Health Care is looking for an answer in an unexpected place: early childhood.
School readiness team at Huntsville City Schools uses LENA Start to increase children’s kindergarten readiness
To help prepare children to succeed in kindergarten, one school district in northern Alabama launched an early language intervention to boost cognitive development in children ages 0-3.
Mom uses LENA technology to advocate for more robust school support for daughter who is hard of hearing
Lisa Eberlein used LENA technology to investigate the language environment her daughter experienced at school. She used the data to demonstrate the need for her daughter to have an FM system in the classroom.
Research Roundup: How adult friendship, socioeconomic status, and screen time may affect developing brains
Read the latest studies exploring how everything from a child’s socioeconomic status to the hours they spend looking at a screen are related to their brain development.
Five things to know about LENA and privacy
At LENA, we take data security and privacy seriously. We meet the highest industry standards for data protection.
Meet the new LENA Grow, redesigned for even greater impact!
The new LENA Grow is refreshed, streamlined, and ready to bring an early language focus to your professional development initiative for early childhood teachers.
5 ways to make data a part of your program success story (or, how I learned to stop worrying and love the data)
We’ve all heard the saying, “No data, no dollars,” but in the field of early childhood services, collecting objective and reliable data can be uniquely challenging. Learn about how to use your data to share the real story of the great work your program is doing.
It’s Time to Shine a Light on Language Isolation in Infant and Toddler Classrooms
New grant opportunities are making it possible to adopt data-informed strategies for ensuring that we can look forward to a time when every child’s day is filled with wonderful, nourishing conversation.
Case Study: Teen parent program adopts LENA Start to grow connections between clients, children
A home-visiting program for teen parents in Boulder County expanded their services to include parent-group classes, to the benefit of clients and their children.
Putting a bow on 2018 and looking forward to 2019
2018 has been an incredible year for LENA with new research, strong partnerships, and 10 million conversational turns! We’re thoroughly excited about the road ahead and all that 2019 will bring as we work toward our vision of all children entering school prepared for success.
It’s never too late for interactive talk! Your questions on conversational turns research answered.
In 2018, researchers published three studies examining the long- and short-term effects of interactive talk. Here we’ve answered the top questions on the role of conversational turns in child development.
LENA Start Reflections & Funding Announcement
LENA has the opportunity to offer matching funds through the generosity of philanthropists who are interested in expanding the reach of LENA Start. Applications are now open for 2019 LENA Start Matching Funds!
Research Roundup: How researchers are using LENA technology to make new discoveries
Read about how LENA technology is facilitating new research breakthroughs.
Mom credits pre-teen son’s success to increased interactive talk in early childhood
Christine Gardy, a mom who gained insights from LENA feedback while her son was just a baby, attributes much of his success 10 years later to increased interactive talk.
Clarke uses LENA technology to bridge home and school environments
Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech, a listening and spoken language program for children who are deaf or hard of hearing, has recently incorporated LENA technology as a “standard of care” for all children enrolled in their early intervention program.
Libraries serve as community catalysts to build pre-literacy skills
Public libraries around the country are using LENA Start to build children’s early literacy skills, connect families with community, and increase library engagement.