SPOKANE, Wash. — The Hearing Oral Program of Excellence (H.O.P.E.), an educational program offered by Washington State University and Eastern Washington University for preschool children with hearing loss will open its doors this September at the Riverpoint campus.
The public is invited to an open house at 7 p.m. Aug. 12 to tour the facility in the
There are still spaces available for children aged birth to five years in the preschool program this fall. Program costs vary, with a sliding fee scale based on ability to pay. Parents interested in the program may contact Doreen Nicholas, 358-7597, evansd@wsu.edu.
Located in the Hearing and Speech Clinic, the preschool will offer a comprehensive program for those families who want their children to learn to talk. Children will benefit from a language-enriched environment that will maximize their communication and academic potential. Children with normal hearing will also benefit from this language-enriched program, particularly as class sizes are limited to 6-8 children.
The auditory-oral program is a cooperative effort among
The program will include a parent-infant program as well as preschool classes. The educational staff will include a teacher of children who are deaf, an instructional aide, a speech-language pathologist, and an audiologist. Graduate students of both WSU and EWU in speech-language pathology and audiology will provide additional individualized instruction for the preschool children.
The Hearing and Speech Clinic is a state-of-the-art facility providing speech, language and hearing services to the public. The 1,000-square-foot pre-school classroom is complete with kitchen facilities, classroom furnishings and an enclosed attached playground. In addition, several individual treatment rooms are available for individual speech and language sessions.
Web sites:
UPCD Clinic: www.upcdclinic.spokane.wsu.edu
WSU Graduate Program in Speech & Hearing Sciences: www.speech-hrg.spokane.wsu.edu.
