High-tech device tracks communication with toddlers

Article Summary:

The first three years of life are a crucial window for brain development, new research shows. The amount of interactive talk children experience during these years influences their school readiness. At Step Up Suncoast, a nonprofit child care provider which helps lift families out of poverty, LENA Grow is being used as a tool to help teachers develop their skills. “In early childhood, a lot of the developmental things are more something you observe, and this gives actual data for certain things,” Jill Gass, Director of Development, said. “It’s a tool for teachers, and now we can show language skills and vocabulary development.”