KEARNEY – The University of Nebraska at Kearney is playing a leading role in a new early literacy project that will strengthen language development for young children across Nebraska.
A $1.295 million grant awarded to the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska will allow statewide partners, including UNK, to use cutting-edge technology to help early educators develop language-rich learning environments for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
The five-year grant is part of Nebraska’s $55 million Comprehensive Literacy State Development award from the U.S. Department of Education – the largest literacy grant in state history. In its first two years, the effort will impact more than 1,300 children through Head Start programs in both rural and urban areas.
Paula Thompson, associate professor of teacher education at UNK, is serving as co-principal investigator for the project.
“This grant supports UNK’s ongoing work preparing the early childhood workforce, especially in rural areas,” Thompson said. “Collaborating on this project with the Buffett Institute allows us to expand this work throughout Nebraska and leverage the expertise found across the university system.”
UNK and the Buffett Early Childhood Institute are partnering with the Nebraska Head Start Association and seven Head Start programs across the state, including: Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska and Western Nebraska, Central Nebraska Community Action Partnership, Educational Service Unit 13, Educare Lincoln, Sarpy County/ESU 3 Head Start and Head Start Child and Family Development Program in central Nebraska.
The programs will implement LENA Grow, a professional development model that uses innovative “talk pedometer” technology. Children ages 0-5 wear small, secure devices that track conversational turns with adults. Early educators then receive coaching and strategies to increase these back-and-forth interactions that are critical to brain development and later literacy success.
The initiative aims to:
- Increase interactive talk between adults and children through Head Start staff training.
- Enhance family literacy for children from birth to age 5.
- Strengthen connections between families, Head Start programs and schools through the Buffett Institute’s School as Hub for Early Learning approach.
Alexandra Daro, director of applied research at the Buffett Institute and the project’s principal investigator, said strong language development is the foundation of literacy.
“This grant allows us to invest in Head Start educators and the families they serve, empowering them to create language-rich environments that spark curiosity, deepen engagement and set children – no matter their background – on a path to developing stronger reading and vocabulary skills,” Daro said.