Back to School! Think Small Launches LENA Classes for Parents and Family Childcare Providers
Leaders at Think Small — Dianne Haulcy, Jacqueline Perez, and Gerri Fisher have launched an adaptation of LENA Start that strives to build partnerships between parents and family childcare providers to promote early language development. LENA Start is a parent education program that uses patented LENA technology to monitor a child’s natural language environment, and allows caregivers to received data-based feedback, set goals, and monitor progress. The program has been implemented across Minnesota in Wayzata, Minneapolis, and now Think Small.
Think Small is a Twin Cities-based organization that provides services, resources, and advocacy for early childhood in Minnesota. Gerri Fisher, the Parent Engagement Coordinator leading the groups at Think Small, commented, “Parents and providers create partnerships that have enormous power in the lives of children. We’re excited to provide valuable feedback to these partnerships so they can create the types of language-rich environments that set our youngest learners up for success.” Think Small’s adaptation is the first time that child care providers and parents have attended LENA sessions together to build a system of supportive language across young children’s environments.
