We now know quite a bit about child development. In particular, we know that 90% of the brain development is complete by age five when formal education starts. We also know that children from families that lack access to financial resources are exposed to significantly less conversation in the early years.
The good news is we know about this and we can do something about it. One thing we make sure of is that our PreK students are engaged in conversation on a regular basis. We do this by utilizing the LENA word pedometer system in our classrooms and in our family support programs.
What is LENA? Take a look at this video for a quick introduction.