LENA • In vivo recording of child language environment

• Computerized analysis of Child Vocalizations, Adult Word

Count, Conversational Turns, Electronic Noise

• Age-based norms and reporting formats

Images

Scott McConnell, Erin Lease, and Gerri Fisher

Educational Psychology and Think Small

LENA Start Minnesota – Implementation Results

Minnesota Implementation

LENA Start

• Funded by LENA Challenge Grant, Bush Foundation through

Think Small, Generation Next, UM

• Focus on implementation for scaling up - leverage existing

programs and resources, expertise

• “Hub and spoke” model

• UM provides infrastructure for technology, training, evaluation

• Local school districts provide intervention through ECFE

LENA

Some Findings Total Served

Scaling Up

• Manualized 13-week parent education program

in English, Spanish

• Weekly LENA recordings and specialized reports

• Focused on positive parenting, following child’s

lead, expanding “serves and returns”

• 10 groups in English, 3 in Spanish, 1 in Hmong

• Certified trained staff: 9 LENA Start ’coordinators’, 8

administrators, 3 ECE teachers

• 93 parents + 29 FCC providers enrolled and attended first

session in 2016-2017

• 87% (n=33) “graduated” in 2016 completed cohorts

• 67% (n=56) parent participants “low talk” at baseline in

completed and active cohorts

• Interest from >4 additional LEAs – urban & rural

• Facilitating Professional Learning Communities for

coordinators, administrators

• Planning adaptations

• Cultural/Linguistic (Hmong, Somali)

• Programmatic (Family Child Care)

More information and full report – www.mntalks.com