The LENA Grow Program

Children wearing Lena vests

We were excited to introduce LENA Grow to our Bright Beginnings program in the fall and it is changing the way our teachers and parents interact with their toddlers and preschoolers.

LENA Grow, a new program that helps teachers have more conversations with young children in the classroom. This matters because talking more with adults helps children develop better language skills.

Research shows that by age three, children from wealthy families hear 30 million more words than children from low-income families. This word gap starts showing up as early as 18 months old and gets bigger as children grow.

LENA (Language Environment Analysis) works by counting back-and-forth conversations between teachers and children. Each time a teacher and child take turns speaking, it counts as one “turn.” These conversations are important because they help children’s brains develop, especially in areas used for language and social skills.

The program uses a small device that counts how often teachers and children talk to each other during class. Teachers get reports showing how much they’re talking with each child, helping them make sure they’re giving attention to everyone. These conversations are particularly important – studies show that children who have more back-and-forth talks with adults in their early years tend to have higher IQ scores by middle school.

The program is already showing positive results. Teachers report that children are:

  • Talking more during class activities
  • Listening better
  • Paying more attention to instructions

Teacher Shaga Francois, says the program helps her better connect with her young students by giving her specific strategies to make every conversation count.

By focusing on quality conversations between teachers and children, LENA Grow helps build strong language skills that will benefit children throughout their education. This program is part of our commitment to supporting every aspect of a child’s development.

Teachers also get coaching sessions where they learn new ways to encourage children to talk more. This has been especially helpful for children learning English as a second language, who end up speaking about 50 more times each week.

“Our teachers are seeing real results,” says Diane Ponton, Chief Learning Officer. “Children are talking more during activities, listening better, and following instructions more closely.”

Through LENA Grow, we’re helping children build strong language skills – one conversation at a time.