Indianapolis

Preschool Kindergarten

We operate a full-day, formal preschool and kindergarten program in our facility located on the north side of Indianapolis. Our curriculum emphasizes academic progress and language development, with an objective of building a strong foundation for success in a mainstream environment. The acquisition of appropriate social skills is also an area of focus as children with hearing loss often do not develop them readily through incidental interaction and conversation, yet they are crucial in building relationships with their hearing peers. Low student/professional ratios (8:1) help our specially trained teachers and speech language pathologists deliver consistent auditory-oral training to all of our students, while continuing to focus on prerequisite classroom skills. Thirty minutes of daily individualized speech therapy is included in the curriculum for all of our students with hearing loss.

Every child has an individualized education plan designed to meet his or her unique learning needs. These plans are developed in concert with the child's school district and family, and progress is measured regularly utilizing standardized testing tools. In general, we target at least one month's progress for each month of enrollment, and many of our students progress at a far greater rate.

Central to our philosophy is the involvement of parents and other family members in their child's education. Family members of preschoolers and kindergarteners attend individual monthly sessions with their child's teacher and/or speech pathologist where they receive training focused on helping them conduct activities at home designed to meet their child's specific needs.

A small number of children with normal hearing are also enrolled to serve as language and social models.