Purchase, Organize, and Manage Your LENA Materials

For partners who own their devices: What you'll receive, additional items to purchase, and ideas for how to organize it all.

This article is for LENA Grow partners who own their devices.

For an efficient LENA Grow experience, take time to organize your materials. Plan how you will keep track of them between sequences, and establish who will ensure coaches and sites have what they need. Here's what you need to know to get started: 

Materials You'll Receive from LENA

You will receive most of what you need to run LENA Grow directly from LENA. We’ll send you:

LENA devices and USB connector cords (1 cord per device)
Multi Docks for connecting devices to the processing computer after each LENA day. Also used for charging devices.
Vests that are specially designed to hold the devices during a child’s LENA Day. You will need to provide desired sizes to LENA before your first shipment. See the LENA Clothing Order and Exchange Form for size options.
Room Kits which include one Teacher Guide,  one Talking Tips poster, and set of eight Conversation Starters posters. If needed, Replacement Room Kits can be purchased in the LENA Shop.
Coach Kits which include one Coach Guide in a LENA tote. Additional full Coach Kits or Coach Guides can be purchased in the LENA Shop.

Additional Materials to Purchase

There are a few extras that will need to be purchased or accounted for that will not be provided by LENA. These include:

Star stickers for teachers to display their earned stars on their Talking Tips poster. These can be any star stickers you’d like.
Device labels for adding a child’s name to the back of a device. You will use the same device for the same child each week, so these are critical. Avery #05422 labels or something similar work well for these.
Vest labels for adding a child’s name to the vest that they will use each week. We recommend washable labels that can be removed or labeled over once a sequence is complete. Most programs use vests for 2-3 sequences before needing to replace them. We recommend Avery #40700/40720 labels or something similar.
Storage bins with secure lids (approximately 11" x 14" x 6") to hold the devices and vests between LENA Days. After devices are processed and vests are laundered each week, the bin will be reassembled and delivered back to the classroom for the next LENA Day. Choose a bin with a lid to protect your devices.
OPTIONAL: Lakeshore Sequence Kits  LENA and Lakeshore partnered to create age-specific kits of toys and materials that support each weekly focus. Kits make great incentives for participating classrooms, but are not required. They can be purchased directly from Lakeshore. Tips for using the materials to promote talk are here.

Organizing Your Inventory

Organize your LENA materials to help your team easily find what they need. Many of our partners use clearly labeled drawer or shelving units to store everything at a central location for distribution across their sites.   

Virginia Beach GrowSmart runs all three LENA programs. They use clear plastic drawers to organize and manage their inventory of LENA clothing.

“The biggest IKEA Kallax has the perfect number of cubes. For a lower budget (or smaller quantity) alternative, we were previously using Rubbermaid drawers. This is really cutting time for our staff on getting supplies together for partners.” - Ruth Ann Moss, Executive Director, Birmingham Talks

Tracking Your Inventory 

When distributing and collecting materials for each sequence, use an Inventory Tracker to note quantities and to document where materials are being used.  

It’s especially important to track your inventory of LENA devices, as they are your biggest LENA investment. A simple method is to make a spreadsheet with your device serial numbers (see back of device, under the bar code) and a column to indicate who is using that device at that time.