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A smiling woman sits beside two infants in a play area. One baby stands by a plastic play structure, smiling, while the other sits nearby holding a toy. The scene is cheerful and playful.

High impact professional development that teachers love —

It's NOT too good to be true!

The Early Childhood Education & Care Department is bringing LENA Grow to NM PreK classrooms all around the state.

Join the NM PreK LENA Grow Information Session

No password required.

Spanish interpretation available.

Add to Your Calendar
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A Simple Start to Lasting Impacts

By participating in LENA Grow, teachers will increase their knowledge of early language and brain development in young children, learn strategies to increase interactive talk, generate and review objective data about the children in their classroom, connect with a certified coach to explore and build on personal strengths, and become a LENA Certified Teacher (optional, but encouraged!).

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Data Without the Hassle

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Strengths-Based Program

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Fits Existing Routines

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Personalized Support

Five Weeks That Change Everything

Why Teachers Love LENA Grow

A 5-week professional development program giving early childhood educators proof that what they do makes a big impact.

96% Recommend to Other Teachers

90% Report Increased Confidence

88% Experience Higher Job Satisfaction

Inquire about bringing LENA Grow to your program.

Deadline: Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at 5 p.m. MT. 

FAQs

What is LENA Grow?

LENA Grow is a job-embedded professional development program for early childhood educators. Backed by 20+ years of research, LENA Grow focuses on the key marker of quality in early childhood education: teacher-child interactions.

Yes! The LENA device is small, 100% safe, and 100% private:
  • Meets safety standards for electronics and toys
  • Uses the same type of low-power processors as hearing aids
  • Does not transmit a signal like cell phones
  • Does not understand or know what is being said in any language
  • Cannot play back the audio

Teachers participate in one “LENA Day” per week for five weeks. Each LENA Day, participating children wear a LENA device to help measure the back-and-forth interactions they experience. Aside from the device, a LENA Day is like any other. Teachers also participate in one coaching session per week for five weeks, approximately 30 minutes each. 

To express interest, complete the form on this page above before Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at 5 p.m. MT. 

Yes, the deadline to express interest in participating in LENA Grow is Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at 5 p.m. MT. 

Participation decisions will be made January 30.

LENA Grow has been used in more than 10,000 infant, toddler, and preschool classrooms across 40 states. In New Mexico, Youth Development Inc. and the United Way of North Central New Mexico have used LENA Grow.

LENA Grow’s evidence base is strong. The program has undergone three independent evaluations and many more internal evaluations. These evaluations have proved LENA Grow to be effective at improving language, literacy, cognitive, CLASS®, and kindergarten readiness scores. The program has also been shown to increase teacher, retention, satisfaction, and confidence. For more information, visit LENA Grow Program Outcomes.

Yes, the LENA Grow web page is a good source of information, as is this PDF.

Teachers can learn more about their role in LENA Grow at https://info.lena.org/lena-grow-for-teachers. 

Other resources include:

LENA is a national nonprofit on a mission to transform children’s futures through early talk technology and data-driven programs. The organization was founded in 2004 by the late Terry Paul and his wife Judi, entrepreneurs who pioneered reading, math, and testing products used in 70,000 schools in the United States and more than 50 countries worldwide.

Today, LENA has become the industry standard for measuring early talk, used by communities all over the world in programs for families and teachers. In addition, the LENA System™ has powered more than 250 peer-reviewed publications 

No. Programs participating in LENA Grow will receive the program free of charge.