Since 2016, we have led an effort to support early childhood brain development in Central Wisconsin.

Our Mission

Our mission is to accelerate language development in children birth to three, in order to improve their cognitive, social, and emotional health and to close opportunity gaps.

Our objectives

  • Improve the quantity of talk and quality of parent-child interactions

  • Advance language development and early literacy skills in children before the age of three

  • Promote parent engagement in the community and in Marathon County early education programs

Our philosophy

  • Parents have the power! We believe parents are their children’s first and best teacher.

  • Using an evidence-based approach will help to close opportunity and achievement gaps. LENA Start is a data-focused and measurable program that can provide us with new insights.

  • Social connections are an important resource for parents. Using a group model reaches more families, and parents have the opportunity to learn from each other and support one another.

Our Background

The LENA Start Marathon County partnership formed in 2016. After expanding to surrounding counties, we changed our name to LENA Start Central Wisconsin in 2023. It is the only free-standing LENA Start site in Wisconsin and one of more than 25 communities implementing the program across the United States and Canada.

LENA Start augments local early childhood initiatives, programming, and services by offering a targeted method that focuses on language development. It is anticipated that language gains seen in the course of a family’s 10-week participation will translate into long-term positive outcomes for kids and the community.

We started with two parent groups at Marathon County Public Library in Spring 2018. Classes have since been offered in spring, summer, and fall at multiple locations around Marathon County and surrounding counties, with morning, afternoon, and evening options. We now offer both in-person and virtual classes to help meet the unique needs of individual families. Our talented group of facilitators makes the program interactive and fun! Click on the registration link at the bottom of this page to see current session offerings and sign up for FREE classes.

“My son is only three months old, but as we started following the talking tips, he started talking more and making a lot more noise. When we took him to the pediatrician, he said, ‘Wow, he’s really making a lot of noises!’ And I’m like, ‘We followed the talking tips!’”
— Mom who recently graduated from the program

What We've Achieved

  • Over 300 Central Wisconsin families have participated in LENA Start

  • Over 80% of participating families have graduated from the program

  • Over 80% of families showed gains indicating positive influences on parent perceptions and interactive behaviors

  • Families whose first recording fell below the 50th percentile had the greatest gains in adult words and conversational turns.

  • On average, children in the lower-talk groups heard 5,210 more words per day than when the program began

  • Children are gaining developmental skills twice as fast as comparison groups

  • Families report reading more with children

  • Prior to LENA Start, many parents did not realize the importance of early talk