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LENA Grow

Category

Early Care and Education

Child's Age

0-1 years, 1-2 years, 2-3 years, 3-4 years, 4-5 years

Participant

Children, ECE Teachers

Languages

English, Spanish

Brief Description

LENA Grow is a data-driven, practice-based professional development program powered by LENA’s “talk pedometer” technology to help early childhood educators improve classroom language environments equitably.

Expected Impact

  • Increases in the number of conversational turns and child vocalizations
  • Improvements in CLASS® scores in the domain of instructional support.
  • Improvements in all DECA domains, especially Attachment/Relationships.

Core Components for Model Fidelity

  • 5-week Reflective Feedback Cycle: Each week consists of a LENA Day, coaching session, and practice days. Feedback is supported by use of LENA Online, LENA Reports, and Coach and Teacher guides. 
  • LENA Days: During a LENA Day, children wear the LENA device, so that teachers’ interactive talk can be captured and measured. Data from this day is turned into a LENA report that is shared during the coaching session, enabling teachers to reflect on their practice and classroom equity.
  • Weekly Coaching and Feedback: Coaches use a strengths-based approach to ask questions and learn more about the teachers’ experience. Then, teachers review the objective data from their own LENA Day. Reports show how much talk and interaction each child received, enabling teachers to reflect on their progress and set a clear goal for their next LENA Day. Coaches also introduce and model strategies that help increase talk during daily classroom routines.
  • Practice Days: These are the days between the coaching session and the next LENA Day. On these days, teachers practice what they’ve learned and work toward achieving their goal so that they will show measurable improvement on their next LENA Day.

Languages Materials are Available in

English, Spanish

Delivery Mode

LENA Days: In-person.

Coaching sessions: In-person, virtual, or hybrid conducted in a one-on-one or group format.

Dosage

LENA Grow consists of a minimum of 5 weeks of Reflective Feedback Cycles, including at least 5 LENA Days, 5 Coaching & Feeback Days, and Practice Days. It is recommended to complete a Reflective Feedback Cycle annually. 

LENA Day: LENA Days occur in-person at the child care facility and last the entirety of the day. A total of 5 LENA Days are completed in one cycle of LENA Grow and can be scheduled once a week for 5 weeks or biweekly for 10 weeks

Coaching Session: 30-60 minutes once a week for the teacher(s) utilizing data from feedback reports and research-based strategies, reflection, and goal setting. Teachers practice strategies to work toward achieving their goal so they will show measurable improvement on their next LENA Day.

Infrastructure for Implementation

Materials: The LENA Grow Classroom sequence is procured through an annual partnership agreement and includes everything needed to complete the program. Materials are shipped directly to the participating classroom. They include a Teacher Guide, The 14 Talking Tips and Conversation Starter Posters, and LENA devices and clothing. Devices and clothing are easily returned to LENA at the end of the sequence using a provided shipping label. Coach Guides, LENA Online Subscription, and Ongoing Implementation Support are provided with the partnership agreement.  Additional Coach Guides, Teacher Guides, and Posters are available for purchase. Access to internet/cell service and a computer is necessary to use LENA Online.

Space: Existing classroom spaces are appropriate for LENA Days and coaching sessions.

Staffing Requirements

Program Manager: Communicates and manages implementation across key staff and stakeholders. 

Coach(es): LENA recommends at least two coaches to support peer learning. A typical coach caseload is five classrooms per five-week cohort. 

Program Assistant (optional): Recommended for larger implementations to assist the program manager with data entry, management, and tech support. 

Program managers, program assistants, and coaches are trained by LENA. Experience providing support to early childhood educators and having a coaching background is recommended.

Training for Model Fidelity

LENA provides all training and ongoing support virtually. Each partner will be assigned a LENA Implementation Specialist, who delivers training and supports program implementation. 

Ongoing guidance and support are provided to both Program Managers and Coaches via the LENA Library and LENA Online. More information can be found on the LENA Grow training site.

Contact Information

https://www.lena.org/lena-grow/

Jodi Whiteman: Director of Partnerships and Growth; JodiWhiteman@lena.org; 919-426-5271 

Cost Estimates

The LENA Grow Proposal provides detailed information about the LENA program and its requirements. Pricing is based on the implementation size and the contract length. For information regarding pricing terms, request a quote through Jodi Whiteman, Director of Partnerships & Growth. LENA can provide additional resources to support securing funding and presenting LENA Grow to internal teams and potential community partners.

Purpose Service Code (PSC)

3125 - Quality Child Care

Program Identifier (PID)

LENA Grow

Minimal Outputs for NCPC Reporting

FY 24-25:

  • Number of child care facilities participating
  • Number of child care staff participating

Minimal Outcomes for NCPC Reporting

FY 24-25:

  • Improved teacher/child interaction

Minimal Measures for NCPC Reporting

FY 24-25:

  • Lena Impact Report

NCPC Evidence Categorization

Evidence Informed- 1 blog post and 1 program evaluation.

Research Summary

Two of the most relevant publications on LENA Grow include a program evaluation in  Florida1 and a blog post that details findings from a LENA Grow implementation in Washington, D. C. 2 Populations represented in these evaluations include children ages 12-66 months attending Early Head Start programs. Results of these evaluations indicate improvements in CLASS scores, DECA scores, conversational turns, and child vocalizations.

For more information, visit LENA’s webpages dedicated to program effectiveness and research publications.

  1. ^ See Early Learning Coalition of Escambia County & LENA (2018). This report details results from LENA Grow implemented in Escambia County, Florida. Educators completed one LENA Day each week with coaching sessions twice a week for 4 to 6 weeks, then completed weekly coaching and feedback from the Early Learning Coalition of Escambia County for the remaining 18 weeks. Participants included 14 classrooms across six centers serving 143 children. Research measures included LENA reports, LENA coaching guidance, and CLASS observations. CLASS observations took place at baseline, at midpoint, and at the end of the intervention. Results indicated a 54% increase in number of words adults spoke to children and an 88% increase in the child’s responses. Infant classrooms’ CLASS scores increased an average of 2.7 points while toddler classrooms’ scores increased an average of 2 points.
  2. ^ See LENA Team (2022). This blog post summarizes findings from LENA Grow implemented in Washington, D. C. Children participated in LENA Grow at Early Head Start partner programs. They wore LENA devices at school once a week for about 10 weeks. Children ranged in ages from 12 to 66 months. Research measures included LENA recordings and DECA scores for 103 children, assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Results indicated significant increases in all DECA domains, especially Attachment/Relationships. Participating children were more likely to move up one category (Needs, Typical, or Strength) than regress. Children with fewer than 15 conversational turns at baseline experienced an increase in conversational turns from an average of nine to 19 per hour.

Researched Population

  • Urban and rural settings 
  • Low socioeconomic status
  • BIPOC-AALANA families 
  • Children ages 0-5 years

Clearinghouse and Compendium References

Bright Start TN Clearinghouse

Early Learning Coalition of Escambia County and LENA. (2018). Results & Lessons Learned from the First Year of LENA Grow as Part of ELC Escambia’s “Grow with Me” Initiative [White paper]. https://f.hubspotusercontent30.net/hubfs/3975639/08.%20LENA%20Grow/LENA%20Grow%20Y1%20ELCE%20Summary%20Report_v4.pdf 

LENA Team. (2022). Research shows links between LENA Grow participation and social-emotional growth. https://www.lena.org/research-shows-links-between-lena-grow-participation-and-social-emotional-growth/ 

LENA recommends having multiple LENA classrooms at one or two locations/sites rather than one room each in many different centers.



Local Partnerships Currently Implementing

Local Partnerships in purple have adopted LENA Grow. Local Partnership contact information can be found here.