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Virginia, say Hello to LENA Grow

96% of teachers recommend it!

LENA Grow is evidence-based professional development that delivers powerful data without the hassle. Backed by 20+ years of research, LENA Grow focuses on the key marker of quality in early childhood education: teacher-child interactions.

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Right Now in Virginia ...

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Only 1 in 11 children

gets the optimal amount of language interaction.

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1 in 8 children

spends most of the day in language isolation.

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Only 1 in 10 classrooms

provides the level of interaction necessary for ideal language development.

LENA Grow Empowers Early Childhood Education

higher kindergarten readiness
0 x
increase in teacher-child interactions
0 %
boost in social skills assessment scores
0 %
better teacher retention
0 x

On the Ground in Virginia

Virginia Beach launched its GrowSmart initiative in 2009, laying the cornerstone of the city’s commitment to early childhood education. LENA is a core part of the program, reaching about 250 classrooms.

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LENA Family in Virginia Featured in "The Right To Read" Documentary

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From the Library to the Classroom: How a Virginia Beach Program Is Setting Kids Up for Success

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A Renewed Commitment to Quality Child Care in Virginia Beach

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LENA Grow supports VQB5 and aligns with Virginia's Early Learning and Development Standards.

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. LENA Grow measures — and improves — the teacher-child interactions that play such a large role in Virginia’s quality improvement system and early learning standards.

  • CLASS® Domain: Instructional Support
  • CLASS® Domain: Responsive Caregiving
  • CLASS® Domain: Engaged Support for Learning
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Improving child outcomes, and proving our results.

Studies show that increasing interactions with LENA Grow boosts CLASS® scores, early literacy skills, kindergarten readiness, teacher confidence, and more. 

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LENA Grow preschool classrooms saw significant increases in all three CLASS® domains, especially Instructional Support.

Children in LENA Grow classrooms saw significant increases in early literacy scores.

Children in LENA Grow classrooms were approximately two times more likely to demonstrate readiness for kindergarten.

Teachers who participated in LENA Grow reported feeling significantly more valued as early childhood professionals.

Five Weeks That Change Everything

Teachers are loving LENA

  • 92% of Virginia educators reported increased confidence in their teaching abilities after LENA Grow.
  • 96% say they saw positive changes in children’s language development.
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It’s not a program that’s there to judge the way that you teach. It’s a program that teaches you to teach yourself to be a better educator.

– Ana Kohlway, early childhood educator in Virginia Beach, Va.

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Ready to transform your early childhood program in Virginia?

Whether you’re ready to implement LENA Grow or just want to learn more, we’d love to connect. 

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Connect with Amy Marciniak

Director of Growth Operations AmyMarciniak@LENA.org

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