Clariebelle Gabas, research assistant professor in child, youth and family studies, is one of five principal investigators on an ongoing research project examining the teacher-child conversations and coaching that build young children’s language and early literacy skills.
The project was recently awarded a $98,850 University of Nebraska Collaboration Initiative grant that builds on the work of a five-year $1.295 million Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant awarded to the Buffett Early Childhood Institute in 2025.
The other four principal investigators are:
- Alexandra Daro, director of applied research, Buffett Early Childhood Institute
- Myung-Jin Kim, assistant professor of early childhood education, University of Nebraska at Kearney
- Philip Lai, Buffett Institute Community Chair and associate professor of communication disorders, UNK
- Paula Thompson, Buffett Institute Community Chair and associate professor of teacher education, UNK
With the NU Collaboration Initiative grant, the researchers will conduct a deeper examination of data generated from the original project, which to date has reached about 100 children in 15 Head Start classrooms across Nebraska. It uses LENA Grow technology to measure verbal interactions between early educators and infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. The early educators receive personalized coaching based on the collected data, helping them strengthen verbal engagement and identify children who may need additional support.
NU Collaboration Initiative funding acts as a seed grant to support faculty seeking federal grants. The goal of the research team is to generate preliminary data for a future federal grant application focused on the science of early language development.
College of Education and Human Sciences
Child, Youth and Family Studies
Thriving Young Children
