LENA Start partners with school-readiness texting program to add continued support for parents after graduation

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LENA and ParentPowered Public Benefit Corporation, the creator of Ready4K text messages, will be partnering to help families talk more with their children.

Parents and caregivers who graduate from LENA Start — a group class that uses feedback and coaching to teach parents interactive talk skills —  will enroll in Ready4K’s free, research-based texting program.

The class is designed to help adults establish long-term conversational habits. Receiving regular reminders after graduation will help to keep the learnings from class top of mind.

“As strong as the effectiveness measure data has been for LENA Start, we recognize that it is not an inoculation; it’s a great foundation,” said LENA President and CEO Dr. Steve Hannon. “Ready4K is a targeted, manageable way for parents to continue to learn and grow as they help get their children prepared for kindergarten.”

The texts provides families with fun facts and easy tips to build their children’s school readiness skills. The text messages are based on the child’s age, and provide suggestions on ways to increase engagement throughout the day.

In a randomized controlled trial study in San Francisco Unified School District, Stanford University researchers found that the Ready4K approach increased parental involvement at home and school, ultimately leading to two to three months of child learning gains in literacy.

“Achieving and maintaining gains in early childhood is an ongoing process that requires various supports along the way,” says ParentPowered PBC Co-Founder and CEO Dr. Ben York. “LENA Start provides an excellent foundation for families, and we’re thrilled to offer Ready4K as a follow-on support for parents as they prepare their children for school.”

LENA Team

The LENA Team is a dedicated group of professionals who are passionate about increasing awareness of the importance of early interactive talk. We are statisticians, speech-language pathologists, curriculum specialists, engineers, and linguists.

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