number of young children who have been slow# to develop language skills.

Pediatric speech## delays more than doubled for children aged# 12 and younger.

PBS Wisconsin reporter Zac## Schultz spent time with students and# teachers to find out what's behind## this increase and whether schools have# the resources to help children speak up.

ZAC SCHULTZ (voice-over): The children# in this early headstart classroom are## your typical two to three year olds.# But they were born during the COVID-19## pandemic and some are at risk# of developing a speech delay.

NICHOLE SPOONER, Director, Comprehensive# Services, Next Door Foundation: I believe## we a ZAC SCHULTZ (voice-over): Nichole Spooner## is the d a headstart program in Milwaukee.

She says young# children were severely impacted by the l NICHOLE SPOONER: They were facing isolation,# stress with their families, trauma,## things of that nature.

And so they're coming# in now with really some challenging behaviors, speech delays, things of that# nature.

I think we're up about## 10 percent right now and children# who have speech delays diagnose ZAC SCHULTZ (voice-over): Across# the state, it's the same story.

MEGAN BOHLKEN, Speech Language Pathologist:# There's ju ZAC SCHULTZ (voice-over): Megan Bohlken# is one of pathologists at Platteville School District# in southern Wisconsin.

Eac loads is maxed out.

And once a student# is diagnosed with a speech delay, federal## and state law mandates the district provide the# services, whether they have the funding or not.

MEGAN BOHLKEN: Are definitely kids# who will just hand you stuff and## expect that you know what they want to# do with it and not REBECCA ALPER, University of Wisconsin at# Madison: Early language sk the best predictors of academic# social vocational outcom ZAC SCHULTZ (voice-over): Rebecca Alper is# an assistant professor and researcher at the## University of Wisconsin at Madison studying# early The Language and Literacy REBECCA ALPER: We're really just kind of trying## to get a sense f ZAC SCHULTZ (voice-over): She says# the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a## lot of existing health disparities# along the lines of or even where someone lives and# young children were no different.

REBECCA ALPER: It's very hard to focus on# early language intervention when you're## experiencing housing insecurity, food# insecurity, all of those sorts of things.

ZAC SCHULTZ (voice-over): Alper's# team is studying how best to support## caregivers of young children since# language development start REBECCA ALPER: What would be the most# supportive long term is to really help## support early identification and early# intervention?

Because the earlier we can## intervene, the better the long term prognosis are.

WOMAN: I have one for everybody.# Peyton, would you like to put this o ZAC SCHULTZ (voice-over): Back# at Next Door in Milwaukee,## they use a system called LENA to help# SHAKEDA CALDWELL, Teacher: These events are going## to record the am it's going to tell us how often we talk to# each other because talking is very important.

WOMAN: It's like a superhero this time.

ZAC SCHULTZ (voice-over): Shakeda Caldwell# is the lead teacher in this classroom,## and convinces the kids to wear vests that contain## a small device that monitors and counts# interactions bet SHAKEDA CALDWELL: Well guess what is going to do,# it's going to help you this talk more, and it's## going to help your teachers talk to you more.

And# we're going to build lots TONYA HAMEISTER, Director of Education# Services, Next Door: They are actually## recording the ZAC SCHULTZ (voice-over): Tonya Hameister# is the Director of Education Services at## Next Door.

She says from the LENA# device, they download the data,## which creates a chart to show the number of# times a student and teacher talk to each other,## that lets the teachers know which# students need more attention.

SHAKEDA CALDWELL: So if I have that child who# scored lower who wasn't havi then I will plan to, okay, I'm going to# have a one on one with this child.

Maybe## I'm going to read more books with# him.

I want him to name I'm going## to ask him what does he see in the book# so I can get those words out of ZA C SCHULTZ (voice-over): Hameister says# LENA started as a research program.

But## now next door has adopted it for# all early headstart classrooms.

TONYA HAMEISTER: We saw an increase,# especially in the children that were## not as verbal that is expressive.

We saw a# pretty significant increase in of interactions.

So the teachers were# doing very targeted interactions with## children and trying to increase that# opportunity for them to be expressive.

ZAC SCHULTZ (voice-over): Hameister# says Next Door is fortunate enough## to have a lot of community support.# But she worr are dealing with a budget crunch# and a surge in speech referrals.

In the last state budget, Governor Tony Evers# proposed using the budget surplus to put extra billion dollars into special education# funding, Republicans in the legislature only## allotted an extra 107 million statewide over# the next two years, just a 2 percent increase.

TONYA HAMEISTER: It's a challenge.# It is a huge challenge.

We know a## lot of our systems are resource# depleted, and they're tired.

ZAC SCHULTZ (voice-over): Megan Bohlken# says burnout in her industry is a real## concern.

And while they're doing okay# right now, next February, they sc reenings for the 4k students.

The next wave# of speech delays is waiting to be identified.

MEGAN BOHLKEN: Those referrals keep coming as# those kids are evaluated.

And if they qualify,## getting them added onto my schedule,# that's when it's going to start to be okay,## now I feel like I'm drowning.# Now, what are we going to do.

ZAC SCHULTZ (voice-over): For PBS News Weekend,# I'm Za