Professor and Co-Director of I-LABS
University of Washington

Summary

Early language activates distinct areas in babies' brains, jump-starting cognitive development. In this presentation, Kuhl discusses the brain architecture behind learning language, and how her team developed innovative techniques to research children's cognition.

Professor, BIP Lab
The University of Chicago

Summary

Gaps in children's development start early, and it's almost impossible to close them by the time kids enter school. The key is what happens in the home, and that means parent engagement. Most parents want what's best for their children and have a pretty good idea what needs to be done. To turn "aspirational parenting" into "actual parenting," we need to provide timely feedback and tips to help them build habits that fit more talk with their kids into their everyday lives.

Professor
Rice University

Summary

This presentation seeks to look, in concrete economic terms, at the origins of rising inequality in America through the lens of a skill gap, and provides an analysis of what we know as well as areas for continued research. Cunha also proposes potential interventions and changes to address these gaps at the policy level. Visit the LENA Blog to read a Q & A with Professor Cunha.

Senior Research and Program Officer
Promundo

Summary

This breakout session explored what we know about the important role that men can play in the language development of children and their lives more broadly, and what we can do—in terms of programmatic and policy interventions—to support and strengthen this role. .

Director
Family Involvement Laboratory
Professor, Human Development
University of Maryland

• "Pay for Success 101, or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Social Finance"
  Justin Milner, The Urban Institute
• "New Funding Paradigms: Insights from Overdeck Family Foundation"
  Carly Roberts, Overdeck Family Foundation
• "Supporting Parents in Early Literacy through Libraries"
  Beth Crist, Colorado State Library.
• "How Spot the Slug Connected Curriculum between Home and School"
  Ljubica Ilic-Downing, University of Dayton.
• "Behavioral Design for Early Childhood Programs"
  Kristy Stark, Harvard University.

• "Public Libraries: Ensuring Progress on the Path to Opportunity" 
  Emily Samose, Urban Libraries Council
• "Early Learning Lab: Technology to Support Parents of Children 0-3"
  Sheetal Singh, Early Learning Lab
• "Talk to Me: Community-Led Language Nutrition"
  Laura Camp, Cherokee County School District
• "LENA Start: My Learnings from Five Sites and One Bodhi"
  Traci Martin, LENA
• "Háblame Bebé: An App that Promotes Bilingualism and Reduces the Word Gap"
  Melissa Baralt, Háblame Bebé

https://t.co/q288Pm3qvt

— LENA Foundation (@LENAFoundation) September 13, 2017

https://t.co/JimU40bzJg

— LENA Foundation (@LENAFoundation) September 13, 2017