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Early Literacy

News Stories
The image shows the text "The74" with "The" in black and "74" in red, underlined by a thick red line on a white background.
Nebraska Head Starts Use Vests With ‘Talk Pedometers’ To Boost Early Literacy
The Lena Grow program, which collects data on preschooler talk and trains teachers to increase conversations, has been linked to higher reading scores.
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Blog Posts
A woman plays guitar while a baby sits nearby, reaching towards her. Musical notes and creative doodles flow from their heads, symbolizing music and imagination. The background is colorful with purple and orange tones.
More Than a Song: How Music Opens the Door to More Conversations 
Music is a powerful “instrument” for fostering early literacy, language development, vocabulary acquisition, and reading readiness
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Blog Posts
A happy family smiles and plays together within a circular frame on a purple background, overlaid with bold text reading "2025 Year in Review" and decorative orange and white graphic elements.
The Conversations That Changed Everything: LENA’s 2025 Year in Review 
In early childhood education, we talk a lot about building foundations. Preparing children for school. Closing gaps. But 2025 reminded us of something simpler.
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Research Reports
A brochure titled “The TS GOLD® Evidence: How LENA Grow Impacts Child Development” shows a woman and a young girl playing with toys, a findings summary, and a chart illustrating language growth progress.
The TS GOLD® Evidence: How LENA Grow Impacts Child Development
In a study of children aged 0-5 at five early learning sites across the U.S., children in LENA Grow classrooms experienced significantly larger gains in TS GOLD language scores compared to a control group. 
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Case Studies
A case study document with colorful sections discussing improved teacher-child interaction and literacy outcomes in Dayton, Ohio, featuring photos of educators and children, and logos for LENA Grow and Preschool Promise.
Improving CLASS® Scores and Literacy Outcomes in Dayton, Ohio
In 2020, Preschool Promise received a CLSD subgrant from the Ohio State Department of Education and Workforce. With the CLSD funds, they invested in the LENA Grow professional development program and the CLASS assessment tool.
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News Stories
Logo for the University of Nebraska at Kearney, featuring large blue letters "UNK" on the left and the words "University of Nebraska Kearney" in smaller text to the right.
UNK part of $1.3M project to boost early literacy in Nebraska
UNK and the Buffett Early Childhood Institute are partnering with the Nebraska Head Start Association and seven Head Start programs across the state, including: Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska and Western Nebraska, Central Nebraska Community Action Partnership, Educational Service Unit 13, Educare Lincoln, Sarpy County/ESU 3 Head Start and Head Start Child and Family Development Program in central Nebraska.
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Tip Sheets
A colorful chart titled "Questions to Ask During Shared Reading with Infants and Toddlers," showing boxes with prompts such as "What do you see?", "What is happening in this picture?", and "How would you feel if...?.
Questions To Ask During Shared Reading
How can you spark conversation during story time with the infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in your life?
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Blog Posts
A woman sits on the floor with a young child, reading a book together. The background is purple and teal with illustrated speech bubbles and decorative dots.
Beyond Words: How Interactive Talk Builds the Foundation for Early Literacy Success
Early literacy success doesn't mean teaching babies to read. They build early literacy skills through simple interactions with caring adults.
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Tip Sheets
Infographic titled “Conversation Starters for Reading with Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers,” showing five colorful sections with suggested questions and tips for engaging children while reading books together.
Conversation Starters for Reading
Help support meaningful conversations with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers during shared reading time.
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Free Webinar: Interaction Data as Quality Systems Evolve

Every state’s quality system is designed to answer an important question: is a program providing high-quality care and learning experiences for children?

Yet quality is a moving target — in how it’s defined, how it’s measured, how it’s communicated, what it means for children in the classroom. As states evolve their approaches – some using rating systems and others emphasizing continuous quality improvement – understanding the indicators that matter most has never been more important.

Read more here > 

October 14 at 1:00 p.m. ET