The Issue: Early Literacy Education for Children with Hearing Loss
Hearing loss can affect a child’s ability to develop communication, language, and social skills, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Without early intervention, children with hearing loss may also lag behind their peers academically—with many only achieving a fourth-grade reading level, according to a 2011 Gallaudet University Literacy Study.
The Campaign: Purchasing a Sofa for Preschool Reading Space
All donations to this Grassroots campaign will be used by John Tracy Clinic to create a comfortable learning environment in its preschool classes for students with hearing loss. With the first $380 raised, John Tracy Clinic can purchase a preschool-sized sofa for a reading corner, where students can sit and enjoy their favorite books. All additional donations will go toward purchasing other furniture for the preschool classroom. HDP Internet Marketing will provide up to $380 in matching donations.
John Tracy Clinic's preschool classes teach reading readiness along with listening and spoken language lessons to students with hearing loss. Using current technology—such as hearing aids and cochlear implants—these lessons help students convert what would otherwise be incomprehensible noise into understandable sounds. With their expanded ability to communicate and read age-appropriate books, students will be able to attend mainstream kindergarten and interact easily with their teachers and peers.
John Tracy Clinic
Spencer and Louise Tracy—whose son John was diagnosed with hearing loss as an infant—founded John Tracy Clinic in 1943 as a resource for other parents. Since then, it has become Southern California’s leading education and diagnostic center for young children with—or at risk for—hearing loss. It conducts more than 20,000 early-detection hearing screenings each year and provides counseling services for families. The clinic also hosts educational workshops for parents with children dealing with hearing loss and collaborates with Mount St. Mary's College to offer accredited master’s-degree education programs in auditory-verbal and early-childhood deaf education.
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