4 Locations Avon - 860-409-7051 Riverdale Farms Farmington - 860-678-8659 1/4 mile from exit 37 off I-84 Simsbury - 860-651-9339 Rt. 10 & Rt. 315 Windsor - 860-298-9558 1 mile from exit 38 off I-91
special PROGRAMS - sign language WE SPEAK SIGN LANGUAGE! ... In November of 2004, after considerable research, we inaugurated one of the most important programs in our history. signing with babies. Today signing with babies is part of our everyday interactions with our infants and young toddlers The research regarding the benefits and legitimacy of signing are overwhelming and unanimously in support of substantial benefits. The fact is that while children generally don't begin speaking until the age of two (some might have limited vocabularies prior to that), they can develop signing vocabularies of as many as 30 words before their first birthday! Most research says that children can first start learning signs between 6-7 months of age. When starting that early, it can take several months for them to actually sign back, primarily due to their developing motor and hand-eye coordination skills. Children over the age of 12 months will learn to sign a great deal faster (2-6 weeks). Some of the benefits of signing: Accelerates communication and actually results in earlier verbal language Enables children to express their wants, needs and emotions Reduces frustration Helps children to be more accepting of routines Increases children's self esteem Promotes active learning Increases bonds of intimacy between child and parent/caregiver The fact that signing allows preverbal children to communicate their wants and needs provides numerous benefits to us, as childcare providers. Lowers stress and frustration for both staff and children Happier children, happier staff, quieter classrooms! Significantly lowers aggressive behavior Fosters greater feelings of professionalism amongst staff Photos below were provided by SigningSmart.com & ImaginationSigners.com "milk" "change" "book" "more" "help" Parent Resources There are many sources of information, products, support groups, etc. that can be found on the internet. We've done a great deal of research before launching this program and have concluded that while there are any number of programs that are based upon "inventive" signs, the preferable approach is to work with ASL signs (American Sign Language). The resources listed below are ASL based. Listed below are several good sources of information related to signing with babies. SigningSmart.com A good source of information regarding signing, and the best in terms of the easy-to-use strategies they've developed to make signing fun and successful from the very first day. ImaginationSigners.com This website is from two women who specialize in training families and educators to sign with babies. They teach and use the SigningSmart program. One of them, Beryt Nisenson, has done several workshops for the staff at EPC and we heartily recommend her courses. While she does training all across the country, several times a year she does workshops in the Hartford area. More information regarding her workshops can be found by calling "Over the Moon" (a baby/toddler boutique store located at 38 West Avon Rd. in Avon) at 860-676-9599. Sign2Me.com This program, developed by Joseph Garcia, was the first we encountered in our research that stood out from the others. In fact, it was watching their videotape that inspired us. They also produce the Signing placecards that we've hung up in all of our infant/toddler rooms. our programs Infant One Year Old Two Year Old Preschool Nursery School Kindergarten School Age Summer Camp Preschool Camp special programs Sign Language Computer Classes Field Trips/Visitors Swim Lessons

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