LENA Start is a free program for kinship, foster and biological families brought to you by Starting Point, designed to better the lives of families by helping parents and caregivers improve understanding and interaction with the children in their lives.
For families, their children’s development is often their top priority, and they are looking for ways to improve their relationships and make the most of their time with them.
LENA Start was built to help you better understand the kids in your care through the simple motto, “Talk builds babies’ brains.” By beginning to speak to your child as early as infancy, science shows increased levels of intelligence, ability to learn and retain information, and social-emotional intelligence by age 3.
To capitalize on this knowledge, LENA Start is offered to families of children from birth to age 5 with these goals in mind:
- You will learn more about your child: What’s going on in that growing brain of theirs? You can learn about topics relevant to their early years, such as language development and social-emotional growth.
- You can expect increased quality interactions with your children: Learn strategies to increase interactive talk with your child, even if they’re still a baby! LENA Start parents say they interact more with their child and are more aware of their child’s needs.
- Opportunities to connect you with other parents, building your vital support group: Early parenting often feels overwhelming. LENA Start parents say they feel a sense of community, knowing that every other parent is figuring out how to navigate their child’s development, too.
Each LENA Start session lasts seven weeks. Attendees can look forward to a single one-hour virtual session each week, followed by a graduation celebration at the end. Times and dates of meetings will vary depending on each session, so to get your information, visit our LENA Start Page and sign up: https://starting-point.org/providers-educators/lena-start-building-brains-through-early-talk/
