A child’s brain is highly active and capable of learning anything. In the early stages of life, over 700 synaptic connections emerge in a young mind every second. Learning at this stage lasts a lifetime. At this stage, a youngster can fit into any form. It is both an opportunity and a responsibility for parents to shape their children into something magnificent.

LENA Initiative: 

LENA- Language Environment Analysis- is a nationwide nonprofit initiative dedicated to changing children’s lives through early talking technology and data-driven initiatives. Early communication is one of the most critical components in developing a child’s brain throughout the first few years of life.

OECI- Office Of Early Childhood Initiative:

The Office of Early Childhood Initiative (OECI) strives to improve and streamline early childhood initiatives for Milwaukee children. We aim to ensure that every newborn receives the resources they require for a bright future. OECI, in collaboration with many government and non-government organizations, provides a variety of activities and resources for parents, teachers, learning, and other skill-development events and games. OECI collaborates with local groups to guarantee that every child has access to and is exposed to an appropriate learning environment that promotes social-emotional development, cognitive growth, and lifelong success.

OECI Partnered With LENA:

OECI partnered with the national nonprofit LENA initiative to support early childhood talking. Early linguistic experience has proven to be a reliable predictor of a child’s future performance. LENA is not a tuition initiative. It gives you strategies to begin conversing with your voice, emotions, and your child’s coos as early as possible. We provide free workshops to parents who desire to interact with their children at a young age. According to LENA, there are three ways to improve your child’s brain with this early childhood project.

Three Strategies To Boost Child’s Brain Development Through Early Talking:

Follow Child’s Lead- Respond to your child by supporting their attempts at speech, asking questions, and mirroring their tone, whether you’re dealing with an infant, toddler, or preschooler.

Practice Repetition– Try to repeat or answer their words. “Recasting,” or repeating information with minor modifications, offers guidance to your child while emphasizing the new knowledge provided.

Read Aloud- Read-aloud is a method of instruction in which instructors, parents, and carers read aloud to children. It is never too early to start reading aloud to your child! Reading helps infants develop their minds, linguistic abilities, and vocabulary. It also provides a convenient opportunity to practice following your child’s lead and recasting.

With these 3 strategies, you can start early talks for your child. LENA initiative also provides industry-standard technology to measure the success rate of early talk in children. LENA uses a small wearable gadget known as a “talk pedometer” in conjunction with cloud-based software to provide detailed feedback that assists adults in making demonstrated, sustained gains in interactive speaking with children. 

LENA initiatives include LENA Grow, LENA Start, LENA Home, and LENA Program Effectiveness. Connect with The Office of Early Childhood Initiative (OECI) for a 10-week LENA program to increase your child’s development.