Language Environments in Slovenian Early Education Centers: Examining Preschool Teachers' Speech Across Daily Classroom Activities

ABSTRACT Early childhood represents a unique window for language learning. Previous research has established reliable links between parental speech and the pace of children's language development; however, much less is known about children's naturalistic experiences in early education centers. We utilized longform recordings and the LENA technology to examine the variation in preschool teacher speech and its links to children's productive vocabulary in government‐run early education centers in Slovenia. The sample included 80 children (2.5–4 years, 38 girls) and ~350 h of naturalistic data from 8 classrooms. Children's language environments were shaped by activity context, with “Morning Circle” being the most interactive and “Indoor Play” the least interactive activity. Adult words varied primarily at the classroom level, while conversational turns varied primarily at the individual child level. Conversational turns, but not the sheer amount of adult speech, were associated with children's productive vocabularies. Many children worldwide spend a significant amount of time in early education settings; our results underscore the importance of considering these contexts in debates around providing supportive language environments for all children.