Ginger Galban

Session Description:
The link between educator-child interactions and quality care is well-established. In this session, we will explore an unprecedented dataset of more than 24,000 daylong audio recordings to answer two very important questions about quality in early childhood education: What is the current state of teacher-child interaction in early childhood education, and why does it matter?

Participants will be able to:
(1) explain what a conversational turn is and how it impacts brain development and later life outcomes.
(2) build awareness about the state of educator-child interactions in early childhood settings.
(3) further conceptual knowledge on conversational turns and how they relate to quality early learning experiences and children’s later life outcomes.
(4) reflect on how this research and data apply to their own communities and their own practices and identify concrete ways that they can increase interaction in early care settings.

Ginger’s Bio:
Ginger Galban is LENA’s Regional Partnership Director for the central region. She is passionate about supporting educators, children, families, and communities to help promote positive outcomes. She has worked in early childhood education and the publishing industry during her more than ten years of expertise in early childhood studies. Ginger has worked with community leaders, school district leaders, non-profits, head starts, and teachers to close opportunity gaps one community at a time.

Ginger received her B.S. in psychology at Tarleton State University. She also has her master’s degree in communications. She was born and raised in the Lone Star State, and you can find her at home in Cleburne, Texas, right now. In her leisure time, she enjoys assisting young people in caring for their goats and lambs, spending time with family, and traveling.