“School readiness” often gets tangled in a web of standards and divided responsibilities. So let’s simplify it. We’re rethinking school readiness by focusing on the essentials: early language skills that form the bedrock of future success.
LENA - Building brains through early talk
Webinars (18)
ReadPlayTalk: How one school district in Texas is prioritizing birth-to-five
Mesquite Independent School District, serving around 40,000 students in the suburbs of Dallas, has developed a successful early literacy initiative powered by city-wide dedication to a unified vision: School readiness and early literacy are vital for long-term success, and they start at birth.
Providence Talks Replication: Celebrating and Looking Ahead
In 2019, five U.S. cities were selected to receive a three-year grant to replicate the widely celebrated Providence Talks early literacy program. As the grant period draws to a close, we’re sharing their stories of what worked.
“Reading for Our Lives”: A conversation about early talk and early literacy with Maya Smart
In her book Reading for Our Lives: A Literacy Action Plan from Birth to Six, Maya Smart uses the analogy of a road trip to describe the “road to reading” for parents of young children. Early talk can jumpstart the journey.
Libraries as innovators in early childhood education
Learn how two library systems have reconceptualized early learning in their communities and how they’ve incorporated LENA Start into their visions as early learning innovators.
Kindergarten readiness and conversational turns: Study results point to a boost from LENA Start
A study out of South Carolina has found a correlation between increased conversational turns and higher scores on the state’s Kindergarten Readiness Assessment.
Recruiting families for community programs
At the heart of every successful family recruitment strategy is effective relationship-building — with the families themselves, with the community organizations that may refer them, and with local media outlets. Join us to learn how a school district in Texas and a library system in Colorado have built buzz around their LENA programs and how they’ve translated that buzz into successful program implementations.
Learning Together: Increasing staff and family commitment to early literacy at Phoenix Public Library
Libraries, early literacy, and LENA go hand-in-hand. In this webinar, Phoenix Public Library talks about its LENA Start implementation, including funding sources, community partnerships, staff development, parent reactions, and effectiveness.
Inside Early Talk: Our point of greatest leverage for improving children’s futures
We find ourselves in the unprecedented position to understand the early language environments of very young children and answer questions we’ve been hearing from the early childhood education field for years.
Virtual Family Engagement: Ingredients for Success
How have our partners adapted to the pandemic’s challenges? 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 young children and families during COVID: Launching new programs and adapting to virtual family engagement
We 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. What are their go-to strategies for effective family engagement in a virtual context?
LENA for Libraries
Learn more about how libraries can incorporate LENA programs into their offerings for patrons. How have our current library partners achieved positive results?
A conversation with Black Family Development on culturally responsive programming through a racial equity lens
Black Family Development, based in Detroit, implements programming to improve outcomes for children and communities. Learn how they do this through a racial equity lens.
Building culturally responsive, strengths-based programming across languages: Approaches from Denver and New Zealand
We talk with program implementers in both the United States and New Zealand who are building culturally and linguistically responsive programming. Learn how they’re succeeding.
Family Resiliency and Early Language: Leveraging a Public Health Lens With Interactive-Talk Initiatives to Improve Child Outcomes
In this webinar, medical practitioners help us understand early language development through a public health lens. How does interactive talk build family resiliency?
Implementing a new community program: What we’ve learned in the first five years of LENA Start
Learn more about LENA Start, an evidence-based community program designed to engage families and help them learn how to increase conversation with their children during the first few years of life.
Providence Talks Replication: Early Childhood Innovation at the Municipal Level
Providence Talks was one of the first early language initiatives implemented at the municipal level, with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies. Learn how the program is being replicated in five more cities.
Field notes: LENA Start implementers on building community partnerships
Forming partnerships is one of the most effective ways to supercharge your program’s reach and impact. In this webinar, hear from a panel of representatives from LENA Start sites on how they’ve identified and engaged key partners.
Blog Posts (24)
Understanding Kindergarten Readiness as a Pathway to Lifelong Learning
Kindergarten readiness (sometimes called “school readiness”) means a lot of things to a lot of people … but what exactly is it?
Conversational turns linked to literacy skills: LENA participants nearly twice as likely to be kindergarten-ready
Children who participated in a LENA program were nearly two times more likely to demonstrate school readiness in language and literacy, compared to demographically matched controls.
LENA’s role in “The Right to Read” documentary: A focus on preliteracy skills
A documentary film from director Jenny Mackenzie and executive producer LeVar Burton features two LENA Start coordinators and their families.
Fostering family engagement and early literacy at Pasco County Schools: Webinar highlights
One of the largest school districts in the U.S. brought LENA Grow to its Early Head Start and Head Start classrooms. Watch these webinar highlights to hear their story.
Developmental Snapshot analysis shows that LENA Start’s benefits endure for two years
For children who began LENA Start at risk for language delays, the results are especially encouraging.
Early literacy and early talk: Webinar highlights featuring author Maya Smart
In a recent webinar, author Maya Payne Smart shared her vision for our “collective power to raise our readers well.”
Providence Talks Replication: From participant to program director in Detroit
Victoria Washington went from LENA Start participant to Director of Brilliant Detroit’s 313Speaks program.
Providence Talks Replication: Building city-wide impact one family at a time in Hartford
Entering its fourth year, Hartford Talks is focusing on families. Here are two families’ LENA stories.
Articles (82)
YW Calgary language program uses cutting-edge technology to support at-risk kids
A unique program using cutting-edge technology to develop language skills for at-risk children is being relaunched by YW Calgary.
Study finds parents don’t talk to infants, toddlers enough
A new research study shows having conversations with infants and toddlers will eventually help their reading skills.
When Cities And Philanthropies Team Up, Good Things Happen
Birmingham Talks, which aims to make the city America’s sandbox for innovation in early childhood education, is using “talk pedometers” to close literacy gaps for thousands of children.
Virginia Beach family featured in ‘The Right to Read’ social justice documentary
“This is truly a crisis because two-thirds of our children in this country are reading below grade level,” said filmmaker and director Jenny Mackenzie. “We have to decide, do we have the political will to stand up and say ‘Enough?’ This is a huge issue and it is continuing to perpetuate systemic racism because we are leaving Black and Brown children behind?”
This early-education approach has cities everywhere talking
A profile of Birmingham Talks, one of the Providence Talks replication cities.
Birmingham Invests $1 Million in Early Childhood Education. What It Means
The City of Birmingham has made its largest investment ever in early childhood education, with a $1 million investment in Birmingham Talks, an initiative that provides curriculum, innovative technology, and personalized coaching to help build language skills in preschool-aged children.
Overdeck Family Foundation awards LENA $4,605,000 in general operating support
A three-year grant of $4,605,000 in general operating support to LENA to further their work at using coaching to improve the key outcome of early language development.
‘It is life-changing!’: Virginia Beach TALKS offers free early learning class for parents
Parents and coordinators reflect on the success of Virginia Beach's LENA Start program as it celebrates its third year.
Podcast: Racing to get kids reading
People Fixing the World: How a race to write books and a gadget that counts words are helping child literacy.
Can science help poor kids earn more?
In a provocative video, Economist Films explores the role conversational turns may play in what they call "breaking the class ceiling."
Parents in Delaware Can Improve Their Child’s Literacy Through This Device
"It's a great tool that parents can use that helps them be able to have better conversations for a lack of better terms with their children," said Monica Mandujano, the Spanish coordinator for Lena Start in Delaware.
Mesquite ISD offering free classes for parents of young kids to help promote verbal development
Outside Dallas, Texas, Mesquite Independent School District is gearing up for LENA Start through its Read, Play, Talk initiative.
Families find success in LENA Start program
Read Aloud Delaware's LENA Start program, launched in September 2020, has made an impact for families in a short span of time.
Providing building blocks for lifelong learning and strong communities
In Colorado, LENA Start is one of the many programs Pikes Peak Library District offers so that it “can be a reliable anchor for those with young children in their lives.”
Bay County Libraries Begin Early Childhood Language Development Program
In Michigan, the Bay County Library System is launching its first LENA Start program.
LIBRARY NEWS: New Early Literacy Program Arrives in Pagosa
In partnership with AmeriCorps and the San Juan BOCES, Archuleta county is launching LENA Start, a talk-based early literacy program focused on children aged birth to three.
Literacy program looking for new participants
After a successful first group, Read Aloud Delaware is recruiting families to a new virtual LENA Start group.
Southwest Colorado program helps parents grow child’s literacy
Families are invited to enroll in a new program to boost language development in infants and toddlers in southwestern Colorado.
Read Aloud launches initiative to close literacy and talk gap
A statewide nonprofit in Delaware will launch LENA Start to connect with families during the pandemic.
Sioux City recognized for work in supporting early school success
The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading has recognized Sioux City with Pacesetter Honors for its work in 2019, including using LENA Home to boost school readiness for infants and toddlers.
‘Word pedometer’ aims to improve language development for children in Southwest Colorado
LENA Grow and LENA Home encourage teachers and parents to converse more with infants and toddlers in Southwest Colorado.
This Powerful Activity Can Change Your Child’s Brain
Back-and-forth conversations have a significant impact on language development and are important for social, emotional, and cognitive development.
Big Ideas for Early Childhood Innovation and Education Partnerships
About 100 federal, national, state, and local leaders – including LENA president and CEO, Steve Hannon — shared ideas for innovation in early childhood at a recent event hosted by the Office of Early Childhood Development.
Can ‘word pedometers’ boost toddlers’ cognitive development?
New devices that measure words as they are spoken, similar to the way a FitBit tracks steps, promise a way to kickstart early development.
Impact Series: Agape’s Thrive by Five program enhances children’s conversation skills in preparation for kindergarten
A new program is helping to boost adult-child conversation in Memphis.
After One City Experiments With Toddlers Wearing Recorders and Sees the Number of Words They Hear Grow 50%, 5 More Mayors Will Pilot Innovative ‘Word Gap’ Program
Backed by promising research and a nearly $12 million investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Providence Talks model is expanding to five cities across the country.
Talk pedometers may boost your baby’s brain development
A growing body of research about early childhood education and cognitive development suggests that chatting with children, particularly from birth to age 3, is crucial. That thinking is at the heart of the program that Virginia Beach is now expanding with a nearly $450,000 grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Talk pedometers may boost your baby’s brain development
A growing body of research about early childhood education and cognitive development suggests that chatting with children, particularly from birth to age 3, is crucial. That thinking is at the heart of the program that Virginia Beach is now expanding with a nearly $450,000 grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Talk pedometers may boost your baby’s brain development
A growing body of research about early childhood education and cognitive development suggests that chatting with children, particularly from birth to age 3, is crucial. That thinking is at the heart of the program that Virginia Beach is now expanding with a nearly $450,000 grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Connecticut Families Extra: More Conversation equals more Brain Growth
Scientists are researching how kids’ brains respond to words and what families can do to help language development.
Does speaking to your baby boost brain development? Virginia Beach uses “talk pedometers” to help parents find out
A growing body of research about early childhood education and cognitive development suggests that chatting with children, particularly from birth to age 3, is crucial. That thinking is at the heart of the program that Virginia Beach is now expanding with a nearly $450,000 grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Positive Parenting: Conversations
Scientists are researching how kids’ brains respond to words and what families can do to help language development.
Language program is helping local kids get kindergarten-ready
A language program called LENA Start is helping local children get ready for success in the classroom.
What’s new in civic tech: Bloomberg Philanthropies replicates early childhood innovation program in five more cities
Bloomberg Philanthropies will replicate an innovative early childhood learning program in five new cities. The five new cities will get tech and software they need to replicate what was done with families in Providence, provided by LENA, a national nonprofit that works within the space.
Birmingham receives grant for talk-based early childhood learning program
The city of Birmingham was selected as one of five cities that will replicate a free, early childhood education program in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Hartford one of five U.S. cities launching language development program for young children
The city of Hartford is launching an early childhood program to support language development, inspired by an initiative launched in neighboring Rhode Island called Providence Talks.
Bloomberg Philanthropies Announces Replication of Mayors Challenge-Winning Early Childhood Learning Innovation in Five U.S. Cities
Bloomberg Philanthropies today announced the five American cities that will replicate Providence Talks, an early childhood education program that empowers parents and caregivers with tools to support language development at a critical age and help children enter kindergarten classroom ready.
Wearable device counts words Detroit parents say to their young children
Detroit is one of five cities chosen to launch a new program that equips children with special devices known as talk pedometers.
The Power of Conversation in Virginia Beach
How the city is investing in its future by replicating Providence Talks.
Bloomberg cites Providence’s success in expanding childhood language program to 5 other cities
Bloomberg Philanthropies announced that Birmingham, Alabama; Detroit; Hartford; Louisville and Virginia Beach are picking up the program.
Birmingham selected to partner with Bloomberg Philanthropies on early learning initiative
The city of Birmingham was selected as one of five cities that will replicate a free, early childhood education program in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies.
A smarter way to start
Smart Start of Davie County offers residents and early childhood educators free programs, including LENA Home, as it seeks to ensure quality childcare, education, health, and family support programs for all Davie children birth to 5
LENA Start program teaches parents about benefits of early speech patterns in children
Parents can learn more about their children's early language development with LENA’s “talk pedometer” technology as part of the LENA Start program in Marathon County.
Device capturing words you say to your child growing in our area
LENA Start kicked off in Marathon County last year, but now it’s expanding, helping even more parents than before.
‘Just Talk’: In Wausau, Technology Program Helps Parents Boost Babies’ Language Skills
Parents can learn more about their children's early language development with LENA’s “talk pedometer” technology as part of the LENA Start program in Marathon County.
HCS School Readiness Shares New Success Results of Early Start LENA Program
Parents can learn more about their children's early language development with LENA’s “talk pedometer” technology as part of the LENA Start program in Marathon County.
Huntsville parenting program creating stronger student readers
Young children in Huntsville are becoming stronger readers because of the LENA Start parenting program.
WEB EXTRA: Parent shares how LENA program prepared her child for success in school
Jovonne Foster shares about how Huntsville City Schools’ language program, LENA, helped prepare her child for success in kindergarten.
Brilliant Detroit opening 7 new neighborhood sites this year in expansion push
A new nonprofit in Detroit is expanding initiatives focused on kindergarten readiness, early literacy, and family stability in high-need neighborhoods.
Randomized Trial of LENA Home in A Home Visiting Program
A new study will evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of adding the LENA Home program to the standard Every Child Succeeds (ECS) home visiting curriculum.
Grantee Spotlight Blog Series: Spartanburg County Public Libraries
Spartanburg County Public Libraries, a 2019 Grantee of the Mary Black Foundation, will implement LENA Start classes and LENA Home coaching visits for local families to support early childhood development.
Speak to Me, Baby
Advice columnist Mr. Dad shares tips to help your child develop verbal skills.
Foundation Awards $765,125 in Grants
The Mary Black Foundation awarded $56,700 to Spartanburg County Public Libraries to purchase LENA technology and implement LENA Start and LENA Home.
$20K grant helps Catholic preschool teach tots to read for life
Through a partnership with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and LENA, families in Philadelphia are able to use LENA early learning technology.
It’s time to harness the power of interactive talk to boost school readiness
Research shows that experience shapes children’s development. Using LENA technology, adults can get the feedback and coaching they need to create responsive care-giving skills and habits.
LENA programs offer path to close the early childhood word gap
Retired elementary school teacher Day McLaughlin shares research and personal anecdotes to emphasize how closing the early talk gap can benefit children, schools, and society.
Muscatine library to expand on early talk programs
Musser Public Library in Muscatine, Iowa, is launching a new LENA Start program in spring 2019.
New program helping Memphis parents, children fight illiteracy and poverty
A new program in Memphis, Tennessee, is teaching moms the importance of early communication with their child.
Can a bit of technology called LENA help young brains develop language?
Bright Beginnings, a school that serves families experiencing homelessness in Washington, D.C. uses LENA technology to help adults increase interactive talk with children and improve their brain development.
This growing program is addressing Detroit’s literacy crisis — just don’t say it’s filling a ‘word gap’
A small program that started in Detroit last year with an innovative plan to improve infants’ language skills has proved promising and is preparing to expand to serve more than 150 families.
A new technology counts words babies hear. This program aims to get parents to talk.
Parents in Wisconsin share how LENA Start taught them strategies to increase interactive talk with children.
A Smart Start
Local parents are lauding a ground-breaking new tool for early childhood development. The deceptively simple goal: Help babies’ brains grow by talking with them more.
LENA HOME – Developing children’s language
Home-Start UK is using LENA Home to improve early childhood language development, and hoping to expand the program in the years to come.
Early childhood language program launches second session in Wichita Falls
LENA Solutions expands to Wichita Falls and other Texan cities in order to reduce talk gaps and improve school readiness for young children.
Early education program addresses R.I. youth literacy
The Brown Daily Herald looks at the history of the Providence Talks program and its expansion made possible through additional funding pledged by the Providence Mayor's Office.
Parents learn how to talk to their babies in new Virginia Beach program
Families and program staff share their experiences participating in the LENA Start program through Virginia Beach GrowSmart.
A high-tech approach to boost language skills starts with infants in Detroit
Detroit organizations are investing in LENA in order to improve school readiness within the community.
St. Vrain Valley, Longmont’s OUR Center partner to tackle the early childhood ‘word gap’
The Outreach United Resource (OUR) Center is using the LENA Start program to give parents the early language development resources they need.
Central Iowa literacy program for babies expands this fall
Small Talk Story Country is a growing outreach project partnering with LENA to give caregivers measurable results about how they communicate with their children.
New technology aiding parents and toddlers to communicate
Auckland, New Zealand is implementing LENA technology in conjunction with local program Talking Matters to encourage more early talk between children and caretakers.
Providence Talks: This Nonprofit Is Giving Children a Start in Life
Providence Talks encourages “enhanced conversation,” where parents are asked to use complete sentences and elaborate using descriptive words when communicating with their child.
The ‘word gap’ and 1 city’s plan to close it
Rhode Island’s Providence Talks is partnering with LENA to provide parents with resources to understand how they can improve their young child’s literacy.
How to end the word gap? Cities invest big in baby talk.
Cities like Providence, Rhode Island, are investing in early childhood talk programs like LENA to decrease the talk gap between children.
Talking with babies helps them bridge word gap
As talk is found to be increasingly important to the development of childhood linguistic and cognitive development, more communities are using programs like LENA to improve communication behaviors in families.
Baby vest measures talk between parent and child
CBC Radio interviews Jill Gilkerson from LENA, explaining the importance of interactive talk between children and their caregivers.
Techie Tools Teach Parents to Talk to Toddlers
Smartphones and other devices help parents teach and reach their little ones.
Providence Talks Graduation
An Al Jazeera piece highlights the Providence Talks program and shows families on graduation day.
Bridging the Word Gap
A radio piece on Latino USA highlights LENA technology, its use in the Thirty Million Words initiative, and the importance of speaking to young children in your native language.
Using Digital Recording Devices to Encourage Talk with Children
An article in New America Ed Central featured LENA's technology and commentary from LENA's co-founder and chairman, Terry Paul.
Coaching parents on toddler talk to address low-income word gap
This PBS Newshour piece examines strategies being used to increase conversation in the homes of families who are part of the Providence Talks program, as well as the program's use of the LENA System.
City of Providence Launches “Providence Talks”
Providence, Rhode Island won Grand Prize in the 2012-2013 Bloomberg Philanthropies' “Mayors Challenge” competition with a proposal to use the LENA System for recording and reporting children's language environment as part of a pioneering initiative to improve language development in children ages 0-3. The “Providence Talks” program, which took first place in the competition against 20 finalists selected from 305 applicants, rolls out this spring with a pilot of 75 families, and is expected to grow to 2,000 families by 2015. The LENA donated its full participation in Providence Talks, including all equipment, software and staff time.