A mother and her child wave at a computer screen.

Virtual Family Engagement: Ingredients for Success

Recorded: Jan 26, 2021

The coronavirus pandemic upended program implementation plans across the country last year. From libraries to school districts to community organizations, local leaders pivoted and adapted, finding new ways to serve families. Though solutions to 2020’s challenges were as varied as the communities facing them, LENA’s Partner Success team witnessed creativity, innovation, and dynamic problem solving every day. In this special webinar, join us to hear stories from the front line about how our partners adapted to the challenges the pandemic presented, utilizing LENA’s virtual program offerings to reach deeper into their communities and beyond. Learn about practical strategies that worked for them, and get your creative, problem-solving juices flowing as you design your family engagement strategy for 2021.

Supporting teachers in building a responsive caregiving environment

Recorded: Oct 28, 2020

As many organizations and small businesses across the child care industry fight to stay operational, they must at the same time find ways to continue to support their staff and maintain a positive learning environment for children. In this webinar, we will discuss new data looking at the variability of interactions across child care settings, explore what quality means now, and offer strategies for supporting teachers in this work with an emphasis on reducing provider stress at the same time. We will hear from Amy Cubbage, president of Smart Start and a longtime advocate of quality, along with Rhonda Rakow, Director of Provider Services of Child Care Group and a program director working with LENA Grow in the field in … Read More

Supporting young children and families during COVID: Launching new programs and adapting to virtual family engagement

Recorded: Sep 30, 2020

Families with young children are facing exceptional challenges during the pandemic and need support now more than ever. At the same time, organizations are facing uncertainty in budgets and staffing, while also rapidly innovating and pivoting to virtual support. During this discussion, we’ll hear from an organization that has recently launched a new LENA Start program and another that has shifted their existing program from in-person to virtual. We’ll discuss why they took on a new program now, what was most challenging, and strategies for effective family engagement in a virtual context.

LENA for Libraries

Recorded: Aug 28, 2020

Join us for a brief overview of how libraries can incorporate LENA programs into their offerings for patrons. We’ll explore how other libraries are using LENA programs and share about benefits and positive results they’ve experienced.

Funding a Head Start Model that Will Change the Course of Children’s Lives: Strategies for a Winning Head Start Application

Recorded: Aug 27, 2020

In September, the Office of Head Start will release over $1 billion in Head Start funding competitions for communities in 38 states across the country. In this webinar, we will get an overview of the Head Start funding opportunities from Jeffrey Capizzano, President of The Policy Equity Group. He will also provide participants concrete takeaways for developing a vision and strategy for writing a compelling Head Start application.

Introduction to LENA for Head Start Association Staff

Recorded: Aug 13, 2020

Join LENA, a national nonprofit, to learn about how we partner with Head Start programs to promote language and literacy skill development in both center- and home-based programs. LENA uses an innovative, research-based approach that provides objective data on children’s talk environments to help foster a positive climate and improve child outcomes without increasing provider stress. This objective data is particularly critical amidst increasing concern that social distancing and mask requirements are curtailing teacher-child interactions.

Head Start Funding Opportunities

Recorded: Aug 11, 2020

This fall, there are a number of funding opportunities available through the Office of Head Start. These include expanding Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships and state-specific opportunities, among others. Yvette Sanchez Fuentes, the former director of the Office of Head Start, and Dr. Candice N. Pittman, program manager with the Mississippi Head Start Association, will walk us through these opportunities and answer any accompanying questions.

Connecting Cradle to Career: Why Universities Need to Care About Early Childhood

Recorded: Jun 17, 2020

In recent years, the concept of cradle-to-career (C2C) planning and investing has highlighted how we can best use our resources across a person’s lifetime to improve their individual outcomes, as well as improve outcomes for the collective whole. In this conversation we’ll learn how two universities — one in California and the other in New York — have taken on innovative roles in their communities’ C2C pipelines and connected the “career” end of the spectrum back to the “cradle.”

Mitigating the Academic and Social Impacts of COVID-19 in Child Care

Recorded: Jun 3, 2020

As child care starts to re-open, COVID-19 recommendations are changing the way child care providers are able to interact with children and support their early academic and social development. In this webinar, we’ll hear directly from providers in three states on how COVID-19 recommendations have impacted their work. Join us for a conversation on how we can continue to adapt while creating a positive learning environment where interactions matter, now more than ever.

LENA Start

Introduction to LENA Start

Recorded: May 20, 2020

Join us to learn more about the effectiveness and ease of implementation of LENA Start, a parent group model designed to support increased early language development and interaction.

Every child ready by kindergarten: A case study in one school district’s vision of early childhood

Recorded: May 20, 2020

New neuroscience research shows us that the first five years of a child’s life are the most critical period for brain development, when the foundation of all language and literacy skills are built. Recognizing this, school districts around the country are increasingly investing in the early years to give children an equitable start long before kindergarten. We’re excited to explore this topic in a webinar with Jim Duggan, supplemental interim superintendent at Bourbonnais School District 53 in Illinois.

Integrating LENA Home into Early Head Start Programs

Recorded: May 6, 2020

Learn how two different Early Head Start programs integrated LENA into their supports for families in this webinar. Through LENA Home, which embraces a trauma-informed approach, home visitors are able to use data to individualize their coaching and meet families where they are.

Introduction to LENA Grow

Recorded: Mar 20, 2020

Find out how LENA Grow is helping teachers to increase talk and interactive conversations in early childhood classrooms, and learn about the impacts we’ve seen with the program so far. Hear what teachers and coaches participating across the country are saying about the program!

A child blows bubbles on a playground with his mother.

Implementing a new community program: What we’ve learned in the first five years of LENA Start

Recorded: Jan 29, 2020

In 2015, we launched LENA Start, a program for families that provides regular feedback from LENA technology to help increase adult-child interactive talk. Along the way, dedicated local partners have helped us to refine the curriculum, improve implementation, and evaluate success. In this webinar, Partner Success Manager Laura Camp will discuss lessons learned with panelists from two early partner organizations, Iowa State University and Huntsville City Schools.

Creating Inclusive and Equitable Classroom Experiences

Recorded: Nov 14, 2019

LENA and Trust for Learning both recognize the importance of language and interaction to boost early brain development and set children up for a lifetime of learning success. Sign up for this webinar to learn more about what equity looks like in early childhood classrooms along with concrete strategies for supporting coaches, teachers, and administrators in fostering more equitable classroom environments.

A skyline illustrates cities where Providence Talks will be replicated.

Providence Talks Replication: Early Childhood Innovation at the Municipal Level

Recorded: Nov 5, 2019

This webinar will take a deep dive into how Bloomberg Philanthropies has thought about the work involved with the Providence Talks replication and the unique role of city leadership in spearheading change. Join us for an engaging panel discussion that brings in the multiple stakeholder perspectives that make large-scale innovation possible at the city level.

How to Implement LENA Start with Parents Younger than 20

Recorded: Aug 28, 2019

In this webinar, we’ll discuss how to implement LENA Start with groups of teenage parents. We’ll examine the unique challenges and opportunities that come with serving this age range. Two experienced panelists will share their learnings, walking us through best practices and solutions to common obstacles.

Building Classroom Quality Through Language

Recorded: Jun 2, 2019

Learn about how organizations can support teachers in building classroom quality through interactive language, featuring guest presenter Sarah Hadden from Teachstone. We’ll discuss why classroom language matters, where we stand, and the challenges and opportunities associated with increasing interactions.

Introduction to LENA SP

Recorded: Mar 15, 2019

Learn more about LENA SP, a tool for researchers, clinicians, language professionals, and others who need detailed, scientifically reliable speech-language measurements of children 2 months to 48 months old.

Introduction to LENA Home

Recorded: Mar 15, 2019

Learn about LENA Home, an add-on to existing home visiting programs that combines a flexible, research-based curriculum with evidence-based feedback from LENA technology. Find out how LENA is helping parents and home visitors collaborate to improve children’s language environments.

The Power of Conversational Turns

Recorded: Oct 25, 2018

Three studies published this year have shown the relationship between conversational turns and brain development. Join us for a discussion with the lead researchers, Drs. Jill Gilkerson and Rachel Romeo, moderated by Shannon Rudisill of the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative.

Maximizing Coaching Sessions with LENA Grow Data

Recorded: Jul 19, 2018

How do we support teachers in making strong connections between data and action? Join us as we talk through the insights embedded in LENA metrics and strategies for using them to foster a strengths-based dialogue with teachers that builds enthusiasm for classroom talk.

Beyond the 30 Million Word Gap: A Conversation with Dr. Rachel Romeo

Recorded: Mar 29, 2018

Join LENA’s president and chief operating officer, Dr. Steve Hannon, as he hosts a conversation with Dr. Rachel Romeo, lead author on a study from Harvard and MIT that sheds light into the underlying neural mechanism that makes conversational turns so critical for brain development.