LENA - Building brains through early talk

LENA - Building brains through early talk
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  • Why Early Talk?
    • Conversational turns build brains
    • Every interaction counts in ECE
  • What We Do
        • TECHNOLOGY

        • Talk pedometer
        • PROGRAMS

        • LENA Grow
        • LENA Start
        • Program Effectiveness
        • Program world map
        • RESEARCH

        • LENA SP
        • Research publications
        • Developmental Snapshot
        • LAUNCH A PROGRAM

        • Bring LENA to your community
        • Readiness assessment
        • LENA for…

        • CCR&Rs
        • FCCs
        • Head Start
        • Library systems
        • State agencies
        • School districts
        • University-community partnerships
        • Clinical applications
        • Public health initiatives
  • Learn More
    • Blog
    • Webinars
    • Resources
    • Crosswalks
    • Social media toolkit
  • About
    • Community Advisory Board
    • Leadership
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    • History
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    • Upcoming conferences
    • Sign up for our newsletter
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NEWS

Read our latest news and updates.

April 22, 2025
By Carley Lanich

These Indy early childhood centers want infants and toddlers to be noisy

Some educators are using this new technology to understand infants’ speech development.

13 news now logo

April 10, 2025
By Ashley Smith

From the library to the classroom: How a Virginia Beach program is setting kids up for success

Virginia Beach GrowSmart is giving kids a strong start through reading, play, and early learning programs that also support families and teachers.

Hechinger Report logo

March 6, 2025
By Jackie Mader

Let’s talk: Teachers pushed to converse more with youngest kids

States are using talk pedometers, conversation coaches to develop young brains

January 19, 2024
By Christy DeSmith | Harvard Staff Writer

Why do some kids learn to talk earlier than others?

Global study by new faculty Elika Bergelson finds three key predictors of language development. They may surprise you.

December 12, 2024
By Mayor Randall Woodfin

How Birmingham, Ala., Used Tech to Support Youngest Learners

Both programs rely on technology pioneered by the national nonprofit LENA (Language ENvironment Analysis), which tracks how many conversational turns children hear and provides feedback so parents can make sustainable increases in line with the science.

November 21, 2024
By Christina Scott

KU researchers studying efficacy of automatic recording and AI analysis of children’s language use and development

Researchers at the University of Kansas are studying how LENA, a "talk pedometer" technology combined with AI analysis, can automatically measure and analyze verbal interactions between children and adults in educational settings like child care centers and museums.

indianapolis recorder logo

October 22, 2024
By Hanna Rauworth

Early Learning Indiana partners with LENA for early literacy skills

Early Learning Indiana (ELI) announced a partnership with LENA, a leading nonprofit in research and programming for early language development. 

March 15, 2024
By Bob McDonald

Screen time can affect children’s language development, study suggests

Scientists call it 'technoference' when technology interferes with interactions between a parent and a child.

March 4, 2024
By Emily Baumgaertner

More Screen Time Means Less Parent-Child Talk, Study Finds

According to new research, “technoference” is real. Toddlers who are exposed to more screen time have fewer conversations with their parents or caregivers by an array of measures.

January 7, 2024
By Zac Schultz

What’s behind a spike in childhood speech development delays across the U.S.

PBS Wisconsin's Zac Schultz reports on what's behind the delays and whether schools have the resources to help teachers, students and caregivers.

December 29, 2023
By Eva Ferguson

YW Calgary language program uses cutting-edge technology to support at-risk kids

A unique program using cutting-edge technology to develop language skills for at-risk children is being relaunched by YW Calgary.

Science logo

December 20, 2023
By Cathleen O'Grady

Kids with chattier parents are more talkative, may have bigger vocabulary

New research from Harvard developmental psychologist Elika Bergelson offers a broader global perspective on language development than ever before seen. It emphasizes the importance of fostering interactive and communicative environments for children, and also probes the long-assumed connection between early talk and socioeconomic status.

December 13, 2023
By Angelica Robinson

Study finds parents don’t talk to infants, toddlers enough

A new research study shows having conversations with infants and toddlers will eventually help their reading skills.

October 4, 2023
By Alison Griffin

When Cities And Philanthropies Team Up, Good Things Happen

Birmingham Talks, which aims to make the city America’s sandbox for innovation in early childhood education, is using “talk pedometers” to close literacy gaps for thousands of children.

July 10, 2023
By Fran Molloy

Baby talk: how early childhood centres can help multilingual children

A study out of Australia analyzing teacher-child language interactions in early eduction settings could shed light on why children from non-English speaking backgrounds often start school with weaker language skills than their English-speaking peers.

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May 31, 2023
By Kiahnna Patterson

Virginia Beach family featured in ‘The Right to Read’ social justice documentary

“This is truly a crisis because two-thirds of our children in this country are reading below grade level,” said filmmaker and director Jenny Mackenzie. “We have to decide, do we have the political will to stand up and say ‘Enough?’ This is a huge issue and it is continuing to perpetuate systemic racism because we are leaving Black and Brown children behind?”

March 24, 2023
By Dallas Payeton

New language development program available for Tennessee early child care educators

The Tennessee Child Care Resource and Referral Network recently incorporated the LENA Grow interactive language development program into their training for infant, toddler and preschooler educators.

March 15, 2023
By Bloomberg Cities Network

This early-education approach has cities everywhere talking

A profile of Birmingham Talks, one of the Providence Talks replication cities.

March 14, 2023
By K.C. Compton

In Babies’ Brains, White Matter Is Crucial—and Conversational Turns Make It Grow

A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience uses MRI and LENA technology to show that conversational turns as early as six months of age uniquely predict brain development at two years of age.

December 15, 2022
By The Economist

The pandemic’s indirect effects on small children could last a lifetime

An international and all-encompassing look at the COVID-19 pandemic's effects on young children, including the perspective of Dr. Jill Gilkerson, LENA's Chief Research and Evaluation Officer.

October 25, 2022
By Ryan Michaels

Birmingham Invests $1 Million in Early Childhood Education. What It Means

The City of Birmingham has made its largest investment ever in early childhood education, with a $1 million investment in Birmingham Talks, an initiative that provides curriculum, innovative technology, and personalized coaching to help build language skills in preschool-aged children.

October 6, 2022
By Lina Eroh

Overdeck Family Foundation awards LENA $4,605,000 in general operating support

A three-year grant of $4,605,000 in general operating support to LENA to further their work at using coaching to improve the key outcome of early language development.

wavy tv logo

September 12, 2022
By Kiahnna Patterson

‘It is life-changing!’: Virginia Beach TALKS offers free early learning class for parents

Parents and coordinators reflect on the success of Virginia Beach's LENA Start program as it celebrates its third year.

June 14, 2022
By Myra Anubi

Podcast: Racing to get kids reading

People Fixing the World: How a race to write books and a gadget that counts words are helping child literacy.

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LENA is a national nonprofit on a mission to transform children’s futures through early talk technology and data-driven programs.

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