Do you talk to your baby? You probably do, even if they don't understand every word, but did you know how important early talk is to your child's brain development?
A baby's brain develops rapidly between the ages of birth to age 3, building more than one million neural connections per second! Interactive talk, also known as "conversational turns", occur when a child and caregiver respond back-and-forth to each other. Early language exposure, in particular interactive talk, is one of the strongest predictors of brain development, and benefits a child's kindergarten readiness and IQ. Studies involving early childhood development increasingly point to conversational turns, rather than adult words alone, as the key brain-building ingredient.
Early talk matters because talk builds babies’ brains! It’s such a simple concept, but it’s also one that deserves to be shared far and wide, and Bay County Library System is helping to accomplish this by offering free LENA Start classes for families with children ages birth to 36 months.
LENA Start is a technology-supported class that uses wearable "talk pedometer" technology with the goal of helping parents increase talk, which encourages their babies' literacy and brain growth. BCLS offers virtual and in-person LENA Start classes throughout the year. Classes meet once a week for ten weeks. You will have the opportunity to meet and talk to other families with similar-aged children, and learn how to incorporate simple strategies to increase interactive talk with your children at home. Participating families also receive a free book each week and other great incentives and prizes throughout the program!
Free childcare is provided to registered families for our in-person sessions.
If you are interested in the LENA Start program offered through the Bay County Library System, or have any more questions, consider attending our in-person Q&A session on Friday, April 4 at 11am, or fill out this Google Form. More information about LENA Start is available at www.baycountylibrary.org/lena.