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Hear Our Joy - Our Highlights
March 2013
Child's Voice Expands to the City of Chicago!
Child's Voice is very excited to announce plans to expand the Early Intervention Program to a new site located in the Roscoe Village neighborhood of Chicago. This Program will provide a much needed resource for children with hearing loss and their families to pursue a listening and spoken language education.
"It's the perfect fit," shared Dr. Michele Wilkins, Executive Director of Child's Voice. "Expanding our Early Intervention Program to the City marries our current services of Home-Based therapies with the amazing progress of our Toddler Group. Adding this location will let us serve more kids, make a difference in more lives and provide more children with limiteless opportunities."
The Early Intervention (EI) Program is based at Child's Voice, located in Wood Dale. Services have been offered to families in the City since the EI Program began in 2001. Over 50 families will receive Early Intervention support from Child's Voice this year. Some of those parents travel over 90 minutes each direction to attend the Toddler Group on site. The addition of this location will allow more children this opportunity.
"This is an underserved population. Traveling to the suburs is challenging for many families. Child's Voice is answering that need," stated Dr. Dana Suskind, Director of the Pediatric Cochlear Implantation Program at the University of Chicago. "We couldn't be more excited to have Child's Voice expand into Chicago!"
For more information on this new location or the Early Intervention Program at Child's Voice, please CLICK HERE to email.
February 2013
Technology & Teaching
Technology is prevalent in nearly everything we do today. The classroom hasn't excaped the influx of technology. At Child's Voice, the teaching staff and therapists have carefully added components of technology to the curriculum to help our students on their road to success.
Technology is here to stay in the classrooms," commented Executive Director, Dr. Michele Wilkins. "The one-on-one interaction isn't suffering at Child's Voice, but we are finding ways to share this technology with the students and utilize it to get them excited and engaged in this new, fun way."
Beginning in the Early Intervention Program, Child's Voice was excited to introduce the LENA Program in 2011. This exciting initiative allows for an increase in feedback to parents on at-home learning opportunities and ways to improve listening and spoken language interaction with their child.
"At this early stage, the child's brain is able to learn many new things and is truly at its most malleable," Rollen Cooper, Lead Teacher, shared. "The LENA lets us take advantage of this critical timing. Parents are with their child for such a significant part of the day; the pairing of the LENA and Early Intervention provides a great way to capitalize on these learning opportunities."
In the School Program, SMART Boards were also introduced in 2011. These interactive white boards have been added to both the Discovery and Learning Centers and are used daily to emphasize vo
cabulary, themes and cognition.
"SMART Boards add a great motivator to lessons. Interacting with the SMART Board gets kids up and out of their seats and physically moving to touch an image or drag it across the screen," shared Wendy Adler, Principal. "We can capitalize on teachable moments. If a child asks about an avalanche, the teacher can immediately access an image and share it with the group. What would have taken a while to find, print and share now takes just minutes."
Also, added in the last few months, iPads. Teachers are using iPads in teh classrooms to facilitate spoken language and articulation. Through a generous funder, Child's Voice has two iPads that are in circulation in the classrooms. Many teachers are using their own personal iPad because teh studetns are so excited to utilize this technology. Apps that are currently in use expand language, vocabulary, pr
epositions, following directions, etc. The children are engaged in the technology (that they are often clearly familiar with) and excited to utilize the vocabulary and language "games" that provide excellent learning opportunities and a unique way to diversify classroom time.
"This technology, SMART Boards, iPads, these are things that students see in their home districts," stated Dr. Wilkins. "Child's Voice prepares them for their mainstream schools...by providing listening and spoken language skills, but also academically. Knowledge of and accessibility to technology is an important component of that preparation. It's one more piece of a very exciting puzzle!"
Take a Minute…Impact an Event
As promised, here is more information about ways to support Child's Voice by donating your time and talents! One way is through support of our fundraising events. These events need many volunteers and hours to pull together the many pieces of the event.
The committees of the three main events - the Family Reunion, Golf Tournament and Autumn Gala - can always use more hands. As the famous saying goes, “We Want You!”
Volunteering may mean helping to organize other volunteers, seeking sponsorships, gathering items to auction or raffle at the event or even setting up or volunteering at the event itself.
To volunteer at any of these events, please contact the Advancement Team. All three event committees are currently beginning the planning process for this year. Join us today! Each minute you give of your time helps pull together a great event that benefits the children at Child's Voice!
More to come in future months about other ways to get involved!
January 2013
Even the Smallest Ears
Child’s Voice is thrilled to have launched the Pediatric Early Hearing & Intervention (PEHDI) Program this month! This exciting new effort will provide testing to newborns and infants to determine if a hearing loss is present.
Through the generosity of the Service Club of Chicago, Child’s Voice now offers Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) testing. This non-invasive test allows for in-depth, diagnostic results all while a child sleeps or eats or snuggles in a parent’s arms, a stroller or a crib.
Dr. Dawn Violetto, the Director of Audiology, will also manage the PEHDI Program. “Getting tested is the key. But the benefit of being tested at Child’s Voice is not only complete diagnostic information, but also the environment,” stated Dr. Dawn. “Parking is available, our location is accessible from a number of highways and it’s not a clinical environment. Children are in our hallways, parents are in the waiting area. It’s a friendly, welcoming place to be.”
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Every child in Illinois is required to receive a Newborn Hearing Screening at birth (or within 30 days if an at-home birth). If a child has a non-passing result, or there are other concerns relating to hearing loss, a child needs this testing to determine if a hearing loss is present. The earlier a child is diagnosed, the earlier the intervention and the services needed can be provided.
“At Child’s Voice, we see on a daily basis, the importance of early intervention,” shared Executive Director, Dr. Michele Wilkins. “To be able to now test babies, to get them started sooner, we know these children will accomplish amazing things and now we can help get them closer to those goals even earlier.”
In addition to testing, the PEHDI Program is also able to fit children with hearing loss with a “loaned” hearing aid at their first visit, until their custom device is available. Thanks to the Ryan Briere Foundation, this bank of “loaner” hearing aids will allow these infants and children access to sound immediately, beginning their lifetime of learning through listening and spoken language.
For more information on the PEHDI Program, please visit the Child’s Voice web site under the Audiology/PEHDI Program section.
January 2013
Matched Impact
Thank you! Thank you to the many supporters that have made a contribution in the first half of the 2012-2013 year (July – December)!
Every donation makes a difference. Special thanks to our partners at the Itasca Lions Club. Matching their interest in helping children is their passion for making a difference in their community and helping causes related to hearing and vision, the mission of Lions Clubs.
You can make a difference, not only through financial support, but also through donating your time and your talents! Did you know there are many ways to support Child’s Voice? In the coming months, we’ll share some ways to get involved at Child’s Voice and make a difference in the life of a child with hearing loss.
Financial contribution
Matching Gifts
Volunteer on a committee
Join an event committee
Volunteer with the Parents Association
Donate items/services to the special events for raffles/auctions
Connect Child’s Voice with corporations, community organizations and foundations that could support
Spread the word of the great things that happen at Child’s Voice
Matching Gift contributions totaled nearly $2,000 in just the past six months. Many companies match the charitable donations of their employees and even their employee’s spouses.
Typically, all the employee needs to do is a get a one-page form from their human resources department and send it in with the contribution to Child’s Voice. Some companies even match the donation 2:1. That means that a $100 gift could turn into $300! Please take a moment to find out if you or your significant other’s company matches gifts today. For more information on matching gift contributions, please contact Child’s Voice Advancement Team at donate@childsvoice.org or (630) 696-8200.
Thank you for your continued support of children with hearing loss!
**Special thanks to TurtleBug Photography, www.turtlebugphotography.com, for the wonderful pictures of our students in this article.
December 2012
Winter Festival Kicks off Holidays at Child's Voice
On Friday, December 21st, Child's Voice enjoyed the annual tradition of the Winter Festival. The morning performance included songs by the Early Intervention and School Program students and, new this year, the Child's Voice performance of The Nutcracker Story.
The students transformed into Clara, Fritz, the Sugar Plum Fairy, snowflakes and more to share in the familiar tale with parents, family members, friends and neighbors of Child’s Voice. Karen Archbold, the music teacher reached out to the Salt Creek Ballet in the fall, bringing in the classic ballet to not only share a performance with the students, but to teach them specific dances for the Winter Festival.
“The children were super excited about the production of The Nutcracker,” shared Dr. Michele Wilkins, Executive Director at Child’s Voice. “I saw them rehearsing their dance moves at recess and giggling about the songs, especially the PBIS song. Seeing their hard work come together was not only a lo
t of fun, but an excellent show case of the talent of our students, their language skills and their appreciation of music.”
Due to generous funding from the Dana Corman Foundation, the Winter Festival and the new Voices and Rhythm Program will introduce not only ballet, but other forms of dance and musical entertainment to the students throughout the school year. Thank you to the Parent’s Association for their efforts on the set decoration and to all the students and teachers for their hard work and preparation. A wonderful performance! BRAVO!
November 2012
...Our Gratitude and Thanks
Thank you. In this season of giving and gratitude, all of us at Child's Voice would like to thank you for your generous support this year. You make a difference in the life of a child. You may be a parent of a current student or an alumnus/a, you may be a friend of a parent or a community member or perhaps a generous supporter. We have heard from all of you in some way and we thank you. Each of you has made an impact.
At Child's Voice we are fortunate to benefit from a generous matching grant this year. Each dollar raised will be matched by this family foundation. That means that for your $50 gift, $100 worth of supplies could be bought to provide science curriculum, or materials and books for the Lending Library. For your $250 donation, $500 could provide field trips, music class materials or arts & crafts supplies.
Please watch your mailboxes. At the end of this month, our annual fall request for support will be mailing out to many of your homes. We appreciate your support where you are able. Each donation allows us to further our mission and our efforts to provide listening and spoken language skills to our students. We know we'll hear great things from them in their future, thank you for helping us to get them to those dreams.
October 2012
Fall Successess...at Child's Voice!
This fall, Child’s Voice has much to celebrate. Student successes, family involvement and exciting events!
STUDENT SUCCESSES & FAMILY INVOLVEMENT
Student success is directly related to family and parent involvement. We see this every day in the classrooms. On Monday, November 5th through Thursday, November 8th, parent-teacher conferences are held at Child’s Voice. This is an excellent time to meet with the student’s teacher, learn about what’s been happening in the classroom and discuss the child’s progress. This important collaboration between teacher and parent/caregiver is an opportunity to discuss progress toward IEP goals, transitions that have occurred and the timeline of the overall goal of moving into the mainstream schools.
Each conference includes the parents, teacher and a School Program administrator. Meetings must be scheduled in advance and the team works very hard to be flexible with the family. It is strongly recommended that each parent visit Child’s Voice prior to the conference to observe their child both in the small group classroom and larger group, either the Discovery or Learning Center. The insight into a child’s classroom can be very useful in discussions with the teacher and in planning for the year.
“This is such an important part of the year,” shared Principal Wendy Adler. “The kids enjoy showing their parents what they are doing. The teachers appreciate the interaction and involvement from the parents and family members. It really is a huge positive to have that type of engagement and investment from the parents. This type of partnership is just irreplaceable.”
EXCITING EVENTS
The upcoming Gala will be held on Saturday, October 27th. For more on this great night, please CLICK HERE. We hope you can join us.
Two different, but equally great, 5Ks were held in September and October, benefitting Child’s Voice. The Ryan’s Run 5K and Kiddie Sprint was held on Saturday, September 16th to benefit the Audiology Center at Child’s Voice. A big thank you to the Ryan Briere Foundation and the supporters of this fun day. Sunday, October 14th marks the 4th year that Child’s Voice has been involved with the Walk4Hearing. Fortunately, the rain held off for the Walk as nearly 300 friends and families came out to support the many organizations that the Walk4Hearing benefits. Child’s Voice is proud to share that the Voices for Child’s Voice team raised the most this year!
September 2012
Autumn Gala Arrives Soon!
This week marks the formal beginning of autumn. The time of year full of cooler days, crisp fall air, pumpkins, falling leaves, cozy sweaters, apple orchards and warm cups of apple cider.
This fall, at Child’s Voice, will also include the return of the Annual Autumn Gala. Families, friends and supporters of Child’s Voice will gather on Saturday, October 27th to celebrate the achievements of Child’s Voice graduates and current students as well as the remarkable work done by the staff each and every day. Children with hearing loss learn to speak; they learn to listen, to laugh and to sing within the hallways at Child’s Voice.
“The Gala is a special event each year…something I look forward to and I think our supporters do too,” shared Dr. Michele Wilkins, Executive Director at Child’s Voice. “This year, we are most excited to host this special evening with a new venue, new theme and new pieces to the evening. With the hard work by the Gala committee and the dedicated support of our Board of Directors, we know this will be the most successful and elegant Gala to date!”
But it’s only successful with your support! We ask all Child’s Voice families (current and alumni), friends and supporters join us for this elegant and exciting evening.
The Autumn Gala will be held at Bobak’s Signature Events in Woodridge. This venue is new for the Gala, but also hosted the annual Recognition Ceremony for Child’s Voice students in May.
This year’s event will include some of the elements from past year’s, such as the live auction but will also include new, exciting ways for guests to support Child’s Voice.
A special thank you to our leading sponsor this year, Schaumburg Bank and Trust, N.A. Please CLICK HERE for the full list of sponsorship opportunities.
If you have interest in donating items for the auctions or raffle, please click here to email the team.
OVERNIGHT ACCOMODATIONS
For those interested in making a night out into an overnight out...
Child’s Voice has secured a reduced group room rate of $89.00 at the Hyatt Lisle, located just three miles away from the Gala!
Rooms can be reserved only by phone at (800) 233-1234 and reference the Child’s Voice Gala Block of rooms. Rooms can be reserved through October 17th for this reduced rate.
The Hyatt Lisle offers a shuttle service and there is one scheduled to depart from the Hyatt Lisle at 5:45 p.m. and return shuttles will run at 11:00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.
CLICK HERE for a map from the Hyatt Lisle to Bobak's Signature Events at Seven Bridges.
For more information, please contact the Child's Voice Advancement Team at events@childsvoice.org or (630) 595-8200.
We hope you will join us for this fun and important evening! Happy Fall!
August 2012
Back to School
It’s that time again! Today, the kiddos come back to Child’s Voice in both the Early Intervention and School Programs. What a great time of year!
The smell of freshly sharpened pencils, new boxes of crayons and classrooms cleaned and ready fill the hallways at Child’s Voice. After a few quiet weeks, the teachers and staff are ready for the children and families to come back to the classroom.
“What a fun time of year! I get to learn all the new personalities of my developing students. I’m excited to see what makes them happy and find out their interests,” shared Jeanette Hachmeister, the Learning Center teacher. “To experience the stories through their eyes, that’s the best each year. And I have plans for magic to occur in the Learning Center and can’t wait to get started!”
The transition from summer back to school can sometimes be challenging. Many experts suggest getting back into the routine two weeks BEFORE school starts to be sure things are in sync again at home. One big suggestion, make sure kids are getting plenty of sleep! Tired students have a harder time learning and retaining all the new information. WebMD recommends that a 3-6 year old child gets 12 hours of sleep a day.
Keeping children excited about coming back to school is a fun way parents can stay involved in the transition. Ask the kiddos about their day and what they did at school. This helps keep them excited about the school day during those first few weeks.
“We miss them! The fall is such an exciting time when the seasons begin to change and we know that starting the year off right sets the tone for learning,” said Principal Wendy Adler. “It’s great to have the new school year starting! Getting back into the routine…it means a new year, new teachers, new opportunities and new growth for each student!”
July 2012
Summer of Fun & Learning
Summer…sunshine, swimming, sports and so much more. At Child’s Voice our students enjoy all these pieces of summer AND continue to attend the Extended School Year (ESY) Program to help them continue their amazing progress.
Each year Child’s Voice ESY Program runs for five additional weeks to maintain the student’s current abilities and skills that they have worked so hard to learn. Research has proven that regression of language skills and materials learned occurs during long breaks from a structured classroom time. Basically, long breaks in attendance = a loss of learned material. The addition of the ESY Program allows teachers to spend more time on task and continue to move forward in curriculum instead of spending valuable class time recouping knowledge learned the year before.
“Summer classes are important. It helps the kids not regress,” stated Carrie Jackiewicz, a PII Teacher (5-8 year olds) at Child’s Voice. “ESY isn’t as intense, but they still keep learning. The vocabulary is seen in a natural environment. We worked on everything about pizza, dough, toppings, the restaurant, before going to the pizza place.”
The ESY Program at Child’s Voice is an extension of the current School Program. In addition to the standard curriculum, teachers and staff utilize the ESY class time to focus on community-based activities and specific themes. Throughout the traditional school year, the School Program takes only a few field trips while during the ESY Program, the students have exciting experiences more often and that relate to each unit. This summer the students studied Pirates, the Outdoors, Summer, Safety, Movies and Dinosaurs. The field trips this year included a visit to a local restaurant, White Cottage Pizza, a trip to the movie theater, the local fire station and Kids Town (an indoor safety ‘town’), a ride on the Metra train and the DuPage Children’s Museum. Children even participate in a summer golf program!
“I love all the field trips,” shared one student. “It’s so much fun, especially the movies. We even popped our own popcorn!”
Kim, a teacher for the PI students (ages 3-5) shared, “It’s fun and it enriches the vocabulary so much. The students stay in the routine. We had such a great time on Water Day! To see all the students enjoy the sprinklers and little pool, even without their devices, was incredible. They continue to communicate and all had such fun!”
One thing is for certain, a lot of fun is had during ESY, but the results throughout the year continue to reinforce the importance of consistency with Child’s Voice students.
“I can’t imagine a school year without ESY,” shared Wendy Adler, Principal. “Our students are incredible and they work so hard. To allow them the chance to retain more of that knowledge is incredible. It increases their exposure to knowledge and helps them to retain it…getting them closer to closing the gap that hearing loss has created in their language and listening skills.”
The ESY Program ended last week for the School Program and the Early Intervention Program will take their break beginning August 2nd. Have a great summer everyone, we can’t wait to see everyone in the fall!
June2012
Congratulations to the Class of 2012
Child's Voice held its annual Recognition Ceremony on Friday, May 25th. This special day recognized 19 students, the largest graduating class to date, as they move to their neighborhood schools this fall.
In addition to the graduates, students perform songs and additional honors are shared. Child's Voice teacher, Eileen Brankatelli was recognized as the Employee Star for her efforts. Child's Voice parent, Bill Srejma was honored for all the hours he spent helping Child's Voice with a wide variety of tasks throughout the year and Parent Association Chair, Laura DiStazio was recognized as she'll be leading the PA again this school year.
A special thank you to all the parents, volunteers and staff for making the Ceremony a great day for the students and children. Congratulations Graduates - we know we'll be hearing great things from all of you!
May 2012
Staying Ahead of the Curve
The mission of Child’s Voice is to empower children with hearing loss to be successful in all educational and social settings by optimizing their listening, speaking and academic skills. One benefit that occurs from this effort is to have a building full of children with hearing loss. For individuals looking to research communication matters or hearing loss, this is a “gold mine” of opportunities!
Child’s Voice has been honored to partner with a number of educational institutions on research efforts to benefit the educational community. These partnerships include Northwestern, Purdue, Rush University, the University of Iowa and many more.
One current study has been working closely with the School Program targeting children from 4 – 7 years old. The Northwestern University research from the School of Communications focuses on a child’s ability to understand speech and language beyond the ability to hear. They are focusing on attention, working and sound memory. This focus on spoken language correlates well with Child’s Voice efforts and ultimate goals.
“This is a great way to do our part and contribute to the education of children,” Dr. Michele Wilkins, Executive Director stated. “It allows us to not only celebrate Child’s Voice, but also stay ahead of the curve, to be at the forefront of educational practices. We are at the cutting edge of curriculum, teaching methods and involved sometimes on the ground floor of a new effort. It’s a win-win.”
We know how amazing our students are since we work with them on a daily basis. However, this interaction showcases their skills and utilizes their ability to learn and unique circumstances. The children at Child’s Voice also represent a widely diverse group with a variety of ages, abilities, development stages, types of devices and socio-economic situations.
Participation in research studies allow Child’s Voice to be a part of a larger effort to gain a more complete understanding of not only deafness, but spoken language, cognitive development and learning. Child’s Voice makes a difference in the lives of the families that participate in its programs. This type of research is the chance for Child’s Voice to make a difference with many more families and impact the global learning community.
April 2012
Learning for the Teachers Too
Child’s Voice is happy to be a site for student-teachers, internships and externships. In 2011-2012, Child’s Voice will host 6-10 students on site. They are spread across Early Intervention (Speech Language Pathology), the School Program and the Audiology Center.
These student-teachers, practicum students and externs are great additions to the staff. By hosting a student-teacher, the individual instructors are able to explain what their process is for the various curriculum and activities. This type of focus allows the staff to think through what they’re doing in a very detailed way. Student teachers bring a new perspective and fresh ideas that can help in the classrooms. A hidden benefit, is that through the exposure to our programs, this group of qualified students are a great asset when looking to fill future positions at Child’s Voice.
However, the benefits of hosting student teachers, externs and practicum students is not one sided. By offering these at Child’s Voice, students have access to a rare setting. With a limited number of listening and spoken language programs to choose from, to have a first-hand experience in a program like Child’s Voice is a unique opportunity. We have accurate and innovate information to share through our methodology and daily planning.
Some Speech Language Pathology Students or Student-Teachers of the Deaf may not realize that is it possible for children with hearing loss to learn to listen and talk and their exposure to Child’s Voice teaches them, first-hand, of the amazing possibilities of our students.
Early Intervention Coordinator Wendy Deters had the following to share, “We welcome students for many reasons. Many of us attended the Universities that we work with and this is one way we can give back to the place that provided us with our education. Also, there is a shortage of qualified professionals that have the advanced knowledge that is needed to work with children with hearing loss in listening and spoken language. By training students, we are doing our part to put more qualified and motivated professionals into the field.”
The Audiology Center has hosted one extern each year in recent years. Pediatric Audiology placements are difficult to find and Child’s Voice offers a great variety to these students including exposure to cochlear implants, FM systems, educational audiology and listening and spoken language education.
Student teaching or externships are meant to offer real world experience to these students, to allow the person to apply their classroom knowledge to the practical environment. Dr. Dawn Violetto, the Child’s Voice Director of Audiology takes this need to heart. “I feel it’s my professional obligation to offer the opportunity to audiology students to have a clinical experience with children. It’s my job to serve as a guide for them pairing the information they have with the actual day-to-day practice.”
By serving as a site for student teachers, practicum students and externs, Child’s Voice is choosing to share knowledge and provide skills to future generations of teachers. “We’re helping to build strong teachers for future children with hearing loss,” shared Principal Wendy Adler. “We know that by coming to Child’s Voice, these student-teachers are learning from top-notch experts in our field. All teachers hope to make a difference in the lives of their students.”
At Child’s Voice we see on a daily basis the impact a teacher has on a child. We’re excited to see where these teachers will go, but we know we’ve provided the best information available in the best environment we know.
March 2012
Parents Complete the Puzzle
Parents are critical to the success of each child, especially those with the added challenge of hearing loss. Fortunately, the Parent Association is a helpful and prominent piece of the puzzle at Child’s Voice.
The mission of the Child’s Voice Parent Association is to:
They support the fundraising ventures through promotion of special events, volunteering for committees and through their own fundraising efforts such as the Cookie Dough Sales (fall) and new this year the Spring Fun Pasta Fundraiser. Be sure to watch for more information about this!! A great and fun way to support Child’s Voice!
This core group of parents helps Child’s Voice teachers and staff every day. Not only do they fundraise and help to coordinate events, but they make their child’s education at Child’s Voice special. The children look forward to seeing their parents at the school. This support doesn’t only help Child’s Voice function efficiently and effectively, but much more than that…it creates memories for the children.
“It’s what the kids remember,” shared Rollen Cooper, Lead Teacher. “We work hard on language and listening and they’ll learn and retain that, but their memories of school are often spending time with their friends and seeing their Dad in pajamas, serving pancakes on Pajama/Pancake Day or their Mom reading to the class on Dr. Seuss Day. That’s what the Parent Association gives to all of us.”
Child’s Voice is grateful to this great group of parents for their hard work and continued support of the children and families in the programs. For more information on the Parent Association or to get more involved as a parent of Child’s Voice, please EMAIL the Parent Association here.
March 2013
Child's Voice Expands to the City of Chicago!
Child's Voice is very excited to announce plans to expand the Early Intervention Program to a new site located in the Roscoe Village neighborhood of Chicago. This Program will provide a much needed resource for children with hearing loss and their families to pursue a listening and spoken language education."It's the perfect fit," shared Dr. Michele Wilkins, Executive Director of Child's Voice. "Expanding our Early Intervention Program to the City marries our current services of Home-Based therapies with the amazing progress of our Toddler Group. Adding this location will let us serve more kids, make a difference in more lives and provide more children with limiteless opportunities."
The Early Intervention (EI) Program is based at Child's Voice, located in Wood Dale. Services have been offered to families in the City since the EI Program began in 2001. Over 50 families will receive Early Intervention support from Child's Voice this year. Some of those parents travel over 90 minutes each direction to attend the Toddler Group on site. The addition of this location will allow more children this opportunity."This is an underserved population. Traveling to the suburs is challenging for many families. Child's Voice is answering that need," stated Dr. Dana Suskind, Director of the Pediatric Cochlear Implantation Program at the University of Chicago. "We couldn't be more excited to have Child's Voice expand into Chicago!"
For more information on this new location or the Early Intervention Program at Child's Voice, please CLICK HERE to email.
February 2013
Technology & Teaching
Technology is prevalent in nearly everything we do today. The classroom hasn't excaped the influx of technology. At Child's Voice, the teaching staff and therapists have carefully added components of technology to the curriculum to help our students on their road to success.
Technology is here to stay in the classrooms," commented Executive Director, Dr. Michele Wilkins. "The one-on-one interaction isn't suffering at Child's Voice, but we are finding ways to share this technology with the students and utilize it to get them excited and engaged in this new, fun way."
Beginning in the Early Intervention Program, Child's Voice was excited to introduce the LENA Program in 2011. This exciting initiative allows for an increase in feedback to parents on at-home learning opportunities and ways to improve listening and spoken language interaction with their child.
"At this early stage, the child's brain is able to learn many new things and is truly at its most malleable," Rollen Cooper, Lead Teacher, shared. "The LENA lets us take advantage of this critical timing. Parents are with their child for such a significant part of the day; the pairing of the LENA and Early Intervention provides a great way to capitalize on these learning opportunities."
In the School Program, SMART Boards were also introduced in 2011. These interactive white boards have been added to both the Discovery and Learning Centers and are used daily to emphasize vo
cabulary, themes and cognition."SMART Boards add a great motivator to lessons. Interacting with the SMART Board gets kids up and out of their seats and physically moving to touch an image or drag it across the screen," shared Wendy Adler, Principal. "We can capitalize on teachable moments. If a child asks about an avalanche, the teacher can immediately access an image and share it with the group. What would have taken a while to find, print and share now takes just minutes."
Also, added in the last few months, iPads. Teachers are using iPads in teh classrooms to facilitate spoken language and articulation. Through a generous funder, Child's Voice has two iPads that are in circulation in the classrooms. Many teachers are using their own personal iPad because teh studetns are so excited to utilize this technology. Apps that are currently in use expand language, vocabulary, pr
epositions, following directions, etc. The children are engaged in the technology (that they are often clearly familiar with) and excited to utilize the vocabulary and language "games" that provide excellent learning opportunities and a unique way to diversify classroom time."This technology, SMART Boards, iPads, these are things that students see in their home districts," stated Dr. Wilkins. "Child's Voice prepares them for their mainstream schools...by providing listening and spoken language skills, but also academically. Knowledge of and accessibility to technology is an important component of that preparation. It's one more piece of a very exciting puzzle!"
Take a Minute…Impact an Event
As promised, here is more information about ways to support Child's Voice by donating your time and talents! One way is through support of our fundraising events. These events need many volunteers and hours to pull together the many pieces of the event.
The committees of the three main events - the Family Reunion, Golf Tournament and Autumn Gala - can always use more hands. As the famous saying goes, “We Want You!”
Volunteering may mean helping to organize other volunteers, seeking sponsorships, gathering items to auction or raffle at the event or even setting up or volunteering at the event itself.
To volunteer at any of these events, please contact the Advancement Team. All three event committees are currently beginning the planning process for this year. Join us today! Each minute you give of your time helps pull together a great event that benefits the children at Child's Voice!
More to come in future months about other ways to get involved!
January 2013
Even the Smallest Ears
Child’s Voice is thrilled to have launched the Pediatric Early Hearing & Intervention (PEHDI) Program this month! This exciting new effort will provide testing to newborns and infants to determine if a hearing loss is present.Through the generosity of the Service Club of Chicago, Child’s Voice now offers Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) testing. This non-invasive test allows for in-depth, diagnostic results all while a child sleeps or eats or snuggles in a parent’s arms, a stroller or a crib.
Dr. Dawn Violetto, the Director of Audiology, will also manage the PEHDI Program. “Getting tested is the key. But the benefit of being tested at Child’s Voice is not only complete diagnostic information, but also the environment,” stated Dr. Dawn. “Parking is available, our location is accessible from a number of highways and it’s not a clinical environment. Children are in our hallways, parents are in the waiting area. It’s a friendly, welcoming place to be.”
Every child in Illinois is required to receive a Newborn Hearing Screening at birth (or within 30 days if an at-home birth). If a child has a non-passing result, or there are other concerns relating to hearing loss, a child needs this testing to determine if a hearing loss is present. The earlier a child is diagnosed, the earlier the intervention and the services needed can be provided.“At Child’s Voice, we see on a daily basis, the importance of early intervention,” shared Executive Director, Dr. Michele Wilkins. “To be able to now test babies, to get them started sooner, we know these children will accomplish amazing things and now we can help get them closer to those goals even earlier.”
In addition to testing, the PEHDI Program is also able to fit children with hearing loss with a “loaned” hearing aid at their first visit, until their custom device is available. Thanks to the Ryan Briere Foundation, this bank of “loaner” hearing aids will allow these infants and children access to sound immediately, beginning their lifetime of learning through listening and spoken language. For more information on the PEHDI Program, please visit the Child’s Voice web site under the Audiology/PEHDI Program section.
January 2013
Matched Impact
Thank you! Thank you to the many supporters that have made a contribution in the first half of the 2012-2013 year (July – December)!
Every donation makes a difference. Special thanks to our partners at the Itasca Lions Club. Matching their interest in helping children is their passion for making a difference in their community and helping causes related to hearing and vision, the mission of Lions Clubs.You can make a difference, not only through financial support, but also through donating your time and your talents! Did you know there are many ways to support Child’s Voice? In the coming months, we’ll share some ways to get involved at Child’s Voice and make a difference in the life of a child with hearing loss.
Financial contribution
Matching Gifts
Volunteer on a committee
Join an event committee
Volunteer with the Parents Association
Donate items/services to the special events for raffles/auctions
Connect Child’s Voice with corporations, community organizations and foundations that could support
Spread the word of the great things that happen at Child’s Voice
Matching Gift contributions totaled nearly $2,000 in just the past six months. Many companies match the charitable donations of their employees and even their employee’s spouses.Typically, all the employee needs to do is a get a one-page form from their human resources department and send it in with the contribution to Child’s Voice. Some companies even match the donation 2:1. That means that a $100 gift could turn into $300! Please take a moment to find out if you or your significant other’s company matches gifts today. For more information on matching gift contributions, please contact Child’s Voice Advancement Team at donate@childsvoice.org or (630) 696-8200.
Thank you for your continued support of children with hearing loss!
**Special thanks to TurtleBug Photography, www.turtlebugphotography.com, for the wonderful pictures of our students in this article.
December 2012
Winter Festival Kicks off Holidays at Child's Voice
On Friday, December 21st, Child's Voice enjoyed the annual tradition of the Winter Festival. The morning performance included songs by the Early Intervention and School Program students and, new this year, the Child's Voice performance of The Nutcracker Story. The students transformed into Clara, Fritz, the Sugar Plum Fairy, snowflakes and more to share in the familiar tale with parents, family members, friends and neighbors of Child’s Voice. Karen Archbold, the music teacher reached out to the Salt Creek Ballet in the fall, bringing in the classic ballet to not only share a performance with the students, but to teach them specific dances for the Winter Festival.
“The children were super excited about the production of The Nutcracker,” shared Dr. Michele Wilkins, Executive Director at Child’s Voice. “I saw them rehearsing their dance moves at recess and giggling about the songs, especially the PBIS song. Seeing their hard work come together was not only a lo
t of fun, but an excellent show case of the talent of our students, their language skills and their appreciation of music.”Due to generous funding from the Dana Corman Foundation, the Winter Festival and the new Voices and Rhythm Program will introduce not only ballet, but other forms of dance and musical entertainment to the students throughout the school year. Thank you to the Parent’s Association for their efforts on the set decoration and to all the students and teachers for their hard work and preparation. A wonderful performance! BRAVO!
November 2012
...Our Gratitude and Thanks
Thank you. In this season of giving and gratitude, all of us at Child's Voice would like to thank you for your generous support this year. You make a difference in the life of a child. You may be a parent of a current student or an alumnus/a, you may be a friend of a parent or a community member or perhaps a generous supporter. We have heard from all of you in some way and we thank you. Each of you has made an impact.
At Child's Voice we are fortunate to benefit from a generous matching grant this year. Each dollar raised will be matched by this family foundation. That means that for your $50 gift, $100 worth of supplies could be bought to provide science curriculum, or materials and books for the Lending Library. For your $250 donation, $500 could provide field trips, music class materials or arts & crafts supplies.
Please watch your mailboxes. At the end of this month, our annual fall request for support will be mailing out to many of your homes. We appreciate your support where you are able. Each donation allows us to further our mission and our efforts to provide listening and spoken language skills to our students. We know we'll hear great things from them in their future, thank you for helping us to get them to those dreams.
October 2012
Fall Successess...at Child's Voice!
This fall, Child’s Voice has much to celebrate. Student successes, family involvement and exciting events!STUDENT SUCCESSES & FAMILY INVOLVEMENT
Student success is directly related to family and parent involvement. We see this every day in the classrooms. On Monday, November 5th through Thursday, November 8th, parent-teacher conferences are held at Child’s Voice. This is an excellent time to meet with the student’s teacher, learn about what’s been happening in the classroom and discuss the child’s progress. This important collaboration between teacher and parent/caregiver is an opportunity to discuss progress toward IEP goals, transitions that have occurred and the timeline of the overall goal of moving into the mainstream schools.
Each conference includes the parents, teacher and a School Program administrator. Meetings must be scheduled in advance and the team works very hard to be flexible with the family. It is strongly recommended that each parent visit Child’s Voice prior to the conference to observe their child both in the small group classroom and larger group, either the Discovery or Learning Center. The insight into a child’s classroom can be very useful in discussions with the teacher and in planning for the year.
“This is such an important part of the year,” shared Principal Wendy Adler. “The kids enjoy showing their parents what they are doing. The teachers appreciate the interaction and involvement from the parents and family members. It really is a huge positive to have that type of engagement and investment from the parents. This type of partnership is just irreplaceable.”
EXCITING EVENTS
The upcoming Gala will be held on Saturday, October 27th. For more on this great night, please CLICK HERE. We hope you can join us.
Two different, but equally great, 5Ks were held in September and October, benefitting Child’s Voice. The Ryan’s Run 5K and Kiddie Sprint was held on Saturday, September 16th to benefit the Audiology Center at Child’s Voice. A big thank you to the Ryan Briere Foundation and the supporters of this fun day. Sunday, October 14th marks the 4th year that Child’s Voice has been involved with the Walk4Hearing. Fortunately, the rain held off for the Walk as nearly 300 friends and families came out to support the many organizations that the Walk4Hearing benefits. Child’s Voice is proud to share that the Voices for Child’s Voice team raised the most this year!
September 2012
Autumn Gala Arrives Soon!
This week marks the formal beginning of autumn. The time of year full of cooler days, crisp fall air, pumpkins, falling leaves, cozy sweaters, apple orchards and warm cups of apple cider.
This fall, at Child’s Voice, will also include the return of the Annual Autumn Gala. Families, friends and supporters of Child’s Voice will gather on Saturday, October 27th to celebrate the achievements of Child’s Voice graduates and current students as well as the remarkable work done by the staff each and every day. Children with hearing loss learn to speak; they learn to listen, to laugh and to sing within the hallways at Child’s Voice.
“The Gala is a special event each year…something I look forward to and I think our supporters do too,” shared Dr. Michele Wilkins, Executive Director at Child’s Voice. “This year, we are most excited to host this special evening with a new venue, new theme and new pieces to the evening. With the hard work by the Gala committee and the dedicated support of our Board of Directors, we know this will be the most successful and elegant Gala to date!”
But it’s only successful with your support! We ask all Child’s Voice families (current and alumni), friends and supporters join us for this elegant and exciting evening.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Bobak's Signature Events at Seven Bridges
6440 Double Eagle Drive, Woodridge, Illinois
6:00 p.m.
Bobak's Signature Events at Seven Bridges
6440 Double Eagle Drive, Woodridge, Illinois
6:00 p.m.
Tickets are priced at $125 per person.
Online Registration is LIVE! Please click here to reserve your tickets or sponsorship today! The Autumn Gala will be held at Bobak’s Signature Events in Woodridge. This venue is new for the Gala, but also hosted the annual Recognition Ceremony for Child’s Voice students in May.
This year’s event will include some of the elements from past year’s, such as the live auction but will also include new, exciting ways for guests to support Child’s Voice.
A special thank you to our leading sponsor this year, Schaumburg Bank and Trust, N.A. Please CLICK HERE for the full list of sponsorship opportunities.
If you have interest in donating items for the auctions or raffle, please click here to email the team.
OVERNIGHT ACCOMODATIONS
For those interested in making a night out into an overnight out...
Child’s Voice has secured a reduced group room rate of $89.00 at the Hyatt Lisle, located just three miles away from the Gala!
Rooms can be reserved only by phone at (800) 233-1234 and reference the Child’s Voice Gala Block of rooms. Rooms can be reserved through October 17th for this reduced rate.
The Hyatt Lisle offers a shuttle service and there is one scheduled to depart from the Hyatt Lisle at 5:45 p.m. and return shuttles will run at 11:00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.
CLICK HERE for a map from the Hyatt Lisle to Bobak's Signature Events at Seven Bridges.
For more information, please contact the Child's Voice Advancement Team at events@childsvoice.org or (630) 595-8200.
We hope you will join us for this fun and important evening! Happy Fall!
August 2012
Back to School
It’s that time again! Today, the kiddos come back to Child’s Voice in both the Early Intervention and School Programs. What a great time of year!
The smell of freshly sharpened pencils, new boxes of crayons and classrooms cleaned and ready fill the hallways at Child’s Voice. After a few quiet weeks, the teachers and staff are ready for the children and families to come back to the classroom.
“What a fun time of year! I get to learn all the new personalities of my developing students. I’m excited to see what makes them happy and find out their interests,” shared Jeanette Hachmeister, the Learning Center teacher. “To experience the stories through their eyes, that’s the best each year. And I have plans for magic to occur in the Learning Center and can’t wait to get started!”
The transition from summer back to school can sometimes be challenging. Many experts suggest getting back into the routine two weeks BEFORE school starts to be sure things are in sync again at home. One big suggestion, make sure kids are getting plenty of sleep! Tired students have a harder time learning and retaining all the new information. WebMD recommends that a 3-6 year old child gets 12 hours of sleep a day.
Keeping children excited about coming back to school is a fun way parents can stay involved in the transition. Ask the kiddos about their day and what they did at school. This helps keep them excited about the school day during those first few weeks.
“We miss them! The fall is such an exciting time when the seasons begin to change and we know that starting the year off right sets the tone for learning,” said Principal Wendy Adler. “It’s great to have the new school year starting! Getting back into the routine…it means a new year, new teachers, new opportunities and new growth for each student!”
July 2012
Summer of Fun & Learning
Summer…sunshine, swimming, sports and so much more. At Child’s Voice our students enjoy all these pieces of summer AND continue to attend the Extended School Year (ESY) Program to help them continue their amazing progress.
Each year Child’s Voice ESY Program runs for five additional weeks to maintain the student’s current abilities and skills that they have worked so hard to learn. Research has proven that regression of language skills and materials learned occurs during long breaks from a structured classroom time. Basically, long breaks in attendance = a loss of learned material. The addition of the ESY Program allows teachers to spend more time on task and continue to move forward in curriculum instead of spending valuable class time recouping knowledge learned the year before.
“Summer classes are important. It helps the kids not regress,” stated Carrie Jackiewicz, a PII Teacher (5-8 year olds) at Child’s Voice. “ESY isn’t as intense, but they still keep learning. The vocabulary is seen in a natural environment. We worked on everything about pizza, dough, toppings, the restaurant, before going to the pizza place.”
The ESY Program at Child’s Voice is an extension of the current School Program. In addition to the standard curriculum, teachers and staff utilize the ESY class time to focus on community-based activities and specific themes. Throughout the traditional school year, the School Program takes only a few field trips while during the ESY Program, the students have exciting experiences more often and that relate to each unit. This summer the students studied Pirates, the Outdoors, Summer, Safety, Movies and Dinosaurs. The field trips this year included a visit to a local restaurant, White Cottage Pizza, a trip to the movie theater, the local fire station and Kids Town (an indoor safety ‘town’), a ride on the Metra train and the DuPage Children’s Museum. Children even participate in a summer golf program!
“I love all the field trips,” shared one student. “It’s so much fun, especially the movies. We even popped our own popcorn!”
Kim, a teacher for the PI students (ages 3-5) shared, “It’s fun and it enriches the vocabulary so much. The students stay in the routine. We had such a great time on Water Day! To see all the students enjoy the sprinklers and little pool, even without their devices, was incredible. They continue to communicate and all had such fun!”
One thing is for certain, a lot of fun is had during ESY, but the results throughout the year continue to reinforce the importance of consistency with Child’s Voice students.
“I can’t imagine a school year without ESY,” shared Wendy Adler, Principal. “Our students are incredible and they work so hard. To allow them the chance to retain more of that knowledge is incredible. It increases their exposure to knowledge and helps them to retain it…getting them closer to closing the gap that hearing loss has created in their language and listening skills.”
The ESY Program ended last week for the School Program and the Early Intervention Program will take their break beginning August 2nd. Have a great summer everyone, we can’t wait to see everyone in the fall!
June2012
Congratulations to the Class of 2012
Child's Voice held its annual Recognition Ceremony on Friday, May 25th. This special day recognized 19 students, the largest graduating class to date, as they move to their neighborhood schools this fall.
In addition to the graduates, students perform songs and additional honors are shared. Child's Voice teacher, Eileen Brankatelli was recognized as the Employee Star for her efforts. Child's Voice parent, Bill Srejma was honored for all the hours he spent helping Child's Voice with a wide variety of tasks throughout the year and Parent Association Chair, Laura DiStazio was recognized as she'll be leading the PA again this school year.
A special thank you to all the parents, volunteers and staff for making the Ceremony a great day for the students and children. Congratulations Graduates - we know we'll be hearing great things from all of you!
May 2012
Staying Ahead of the Curve
The mission of Child’s Voice is to empower children with hearing loss to be successful in all educational and social settings by optimizing their listening, speaking and academic skills. One benefit that occurs from this effort is to have a building full of children with hearing loss. For individuals looking to research communication matters or hearing loss, this is a “gold mine” of opportunities!
Child’s Voice has been honored to partner with a number of educational institutions on research efforts to benefit the educational community. These partnerships include Northwestern, Purdue, Rush University, the University of Iowa and many more.
One current study has been working closely with the School Program targeting children from 4 – 7 years old. The Northwestern University research from the School of Communications focuses on a child’s ability to understand speech and language beyond the ability to hear. They are focusing on attention, working and sound memory. This focus on spoken language correlates well with Child’s Voice efforts and ultimate goals.
“This is a great way to do our part and contribute to the education of children,” Dr. Michele Wilkins, Executive Director stated. “It allows us to not only celebrate Child’s Voice, but also stay ahead of the curve, to be at the forefront of educational practices. We are at the cutting edge of curriculum, teaching methods and involved sometimes on the ground floor of a new effort. It’s a win-win.”
We know how amazing our students are since we work with them on a daily basis. However, this interaction showcases their skills and utilizes their ability to learn and unique circumstances. The children at Child’s Voice also represent a widely diverse group with a variety of ages, abilities, development stages, types of devices and socio-economic situations.
Participation in research studies allow Child’s Voice to be a part of a larger effort to gain a more complete understanding of not only deafness, but spoken language, cognitive development and learning. Child’s Voice makes a difference in the lives of the families that participate in its programs. This type of research is the chance for Child’s Voice to make a difference with many more families and impact the global learning community.
April 2012
Learning for the Teachers Too
Child’s Voice is happy to be a site for student-teachers, internships and externships. In 2011-2012, Child’s Voice will host 6-10 students on site. They are spread across Early Intervention (Speech Language Pathology), the School Program and the Audiology Center.These student-teachers, practicum students and externs are great additions to the staff. By hosting a student-teacher, the individual instructors are able to explain what their process is for the various curriculum and activities. This type of focus allows the staff to think through what they’re doing in a very detailed way. Student teachers bring a new perspective and fresh ideas that can help in the classrooms. A hidden benefit, is that through the exposure to our programs, this group of qualified students are a great asset when looking to fill future positions at Child’s Voice.
However, the benefits of hosting student teachers, externs and practicum students is not one sided. By offering these at Child’s Voice, students have access to a rare setting. With a limited number of listening and spoken language programs to choose from, to have a first-hand experience in a program like Child’s Voice is a unique opportunity. We have accurate and innovate information to share through our methodology and daily planning.
Some Speech Language Pathology Students or Student-Teachers of the Deaf may not realize that is it possible for children with hearing loss to learn to listen and talk and their exposure to Child’s Voice teaches them, first-hand, of the amazing possibilities of our students.
Early Intervention Coordinator Wendy Deters had the following to share, “We welcome students for many reasons. Many of us attended the Universities that we work with and this is one way we can give back to the place that provided us with our education. Also, there is a shortage of qualified professionals that have the advanced knowledge that is needed to work with children with hearing loss in listening and spoken language. By training students, we are doing our part to put more qualified and motivated professionals into the field.”
The Audiology Center has hosted one extern each year in recent years. Pediatric Audiology placements are difficult to find and Child’s Voice offers a great variety to these students including exposure to cochlear implants, FM systems, educational audiology and listening and spoken language education.
Student teaching or externships are meant to offer real world experience to these students, to allow the person to apply their classroom knowledge to the practical environment. Dr. Dawn Violetto, the Child’s Voice Director of Audiology takes this need to heart. “I feel it’s my professional obligation to offer the opportunity to audiology students to have a clinical experience with children. It’s my job to serve as a guide for them pairing the information they have with the actual day-to-day practice.”
By serving as a site for student teachers, practicum students and externs, Child’s Voice is choosing to share knowledge and provide skills to future generations of teachers. “We’re helping to build strong teachers for future children with hearing loss,” shared Principal Wendy Adler. “We know that by coming to Child’s Voice, these student-teachers are learning from top-notch experts in our field. All teachers hope to make a difference in the lives of their students.”
At Child’s Voice we see on a daily basis the impact a teacher has on a child. We’re excited to see where these teachers will go, but we know we’ve provided the best information available in the best environment we know.
March 2012
Parents Complete the Puzzle
Parents are critical to the success of each child, especially those with the added challenge of hearing loss. Fortunately, the Parent Association is a helpful and prominent piece of the puzzle at Child’s Voice.
The mission of the Child’s Voice Parent Association is to:
- Provide support for parents, who are raising a child with hearing loss that is attending Child’s Voice,
- Provide educational and enrichment experiences that will enhance the academic curriculum,
- Plan and support fundraising ventures for the school in order to close the funding gap for every students and provide scholarships to those students in need,
- Support a positive school environment among students, staff and parents.
They support the fundraising ventures through promotion of special events, volunteering for committees and through their own fundraising efforts such as the Cookie Dough Sales (fall) and new this year the Spring Fun Pasta Fundraiser. Be sure to watch for more information about this!! A great and fun way to support Child’s Voice!
This core group of parents helps Child’s Voice teachers and staff every day. Not only do they fundraise and help to coordinate events, but they make their child’s education at Child’s Voice special. The children look forward to seeing their parents at the school. This support doesn’t only help Child’s Voice function efficiently and effectively, but much more than that…it creates memories for the children.
“It’s what the kids remember,” shared Rollen Cooper, Lead Teacher. “We work hard on language and listening and they’ll learn and retain that, but their memories of school are often spending time with their friends and seeing their Dad in pajamas, serving pancakes on Pajama/Pancake Day or their Mom reading to the class on Dr. Seuss Day. That’s what the Parent Association gives to all of us.”
Child’s Voice is grateful to this great group of parents for their hard work and continued support of the children and families in the programs. For more information on the Parent Association or to get more involved as a parent of Child’s Voice, please EMAIL the Parent Association here.
March 2012
Home Sweet Home
A child with hearing loss has not had the opportunity to learn from childhood exposure to sounds. However, with the advances in technology and the required newborn hearing screening, the early identification of hearing loss is increasing. This early identification coupled with early intervention can help a child with hearing loss learn to listen and speak.
Did you know…
Children begin listening and learning sounds even before they are born. They spend the first days, months and years of their life absorbing the many sounds around them; their mother’s voice, their father’s laugh and the giggles of their siblings. Babies begin to produce vowel sounds and mimic the sounds they hear as early as three to four months old based on their exposure to language.
At Child’s Voice, the focus is to provide children with hearing loss the tools needed to succeed in a hearing world. The Early Intervention (EI) Program at Child’s Voice is the first step for many families and can begin once the hearing loss has been identified. Some families have started working with Child’s Voice professionals as early as two months old.
The specialized combination of home based services with center-based services, offered at Child’s Voice, is beneficial in many ways.
- Therapists develop positive relationships with families when they are invited into the family home.
- A sense of trust and partnership is built when working in the home and interacting with a variety of family members.
- A more comprehensive and complete view of the child’s development in all areas is easier to evaluate in the combined home and center based settings.
- Child’s Voice EI Specialists work with parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins, etc.
- If there is a certain activity or time of day that is more challenging, the EI staff can provide strategies to incorporate listening and language activities into that time.
- The ability to assess the home environment for ways to modify the setting so it is more conducive to a child’s listening and spoken language development. Some of these changes are as simple as putting carpeting or a rug on wood floors, organizing toys so they are easier to play with or moving to a smaller room for listening activities where it is quieter.
- First hand exposure to the close bonds that families develop through their participation in the Toddler Center Program.
Ultimately, the EI Program provides children with the tools to listen, speak, laugh and sing and progress into a listening and spoken language program or in their neighborhood school district as they grow and age.
At the center based Toddler Group sessions, children attend twice a week. The parents of these children are able to participate in a weekly music class as well as interact with other families in similar situations. Many parents have shared that they felt very isolated prior to joining the EI Program and finding these common bonds.
Child’s Voice Early Intervention Program provides a sense of endless opportunities for many families. The home based services combined with the center based Toddler Group offers a strong foundation of skills for these infants and toddlers. Much like the families the EI professionals work with, the strong foundation is a key factor into the development of the child and the home.
February 2012
Child's Voice Celebrates 16 Years of Success
Cupcakes, smiles and lots of laughter...These filled the halls of Child's Voice yesterday along with lots of Valentine's too. In collaboration with the Valentine's Day party at Child's Voice, a moment was taken to celebrate 16 years of providing listening and spoken language education to the children with hearing loss.
Over 350 families have been impacted by Child's Voice programs and services, where children with hearing loss are taught to listen and to speak. The current students, staff and families were invited to enjoy a quick program about the Sweet 16 Birthday complete with birthday treats!
We hope you will take a moment to celebrate this important milestone with us and we welcome you to visit Child's Voice to see the miracles that happen here every day. Thank you to the many parents of current and alumni students, families, students, staff, friends and supporters that have made Child's Voice successful! We couldn't do it without your support!
In addition to the fun of Valentine's Day AND the celebration of its 16th Birthday, Child's Voice also took a moment to recognize staff celebrating key anniversaries this year.
Congratulations and thank you to the amazing staff and teachers at Child's Voice!
Celebrating 
15 years at Child's Voice:
Rollen Cooper, Lead Teacher
Carrie Jackiewicz, PII Teacher and Mainstream Support
Val Pizzi, Aide
Celebrating 5 years at Child's Voice:
Cheryl Borden, PI Teacher
Corinne Bussa, Aide
Tina Johanson, School Speech Language Pathologist
Melissa Lundt, PII Teacher and Mainstream Support
Fai Miquel, PII Teacher
Heather Price, PII Teacher
Brandi Sidor, Early Intervention Specialist
Cindy Wiora, School Manager
Happy Sweet 16 Child's Voice - what sweet sounds we hear!
January 2012
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As Child’s Voice approaches its 16th birthday, we wanted to take a moment and look back at where Child’s Voice started and see how far it has come.
Six families came together. These families didn’t want to be living in two different cities…mom in one town with the child with hearing loss, dad in a different town. These families wanted their child to be able to join the mainstream, neighborhood schools. They wanted to be able to communicate with their child and for the child to communicate with grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors and friends without the use of sign language.
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