UCO Hearing Impaired Preschool

Darin and I had the opportunity to take Tessa to visit the UCO Hearing Impaired Preschool in Edmond last Friday morning and the experience was amazing!!  Even though Tessa just turned 2 in April, decisions for her transition into the school system at 3 are starting now.  We have lots of things to consider and even more to pray about! Since this program includes Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Assistants from UCO*, the ratio of teachers to students is great.  Both the director and the teacher of the preschool are amazing and we couldn't have been happier with the experience.

Between now and when Tessa turns 3, we can be included in the UCO program on Friday mornings from 9:00-11:00.  This is the time for the SoonerStart kids and parents to get a glimpse at what it would be like to attend Preschool here.  The only downside to the Preschool for us at this time, is distance.  It takes a minimum of 45 minutes from our house to the school.

Communication is such a big focus for us right now.  We want to make sure Tessa has the tools she needs to communicate with her caregivers...both now and when she transitions into school.  We are still gathering all of the information, but it does sound like there is a way to incorporate the UCO Preschool with Public School when Tessa turns 3.  The Preschool would only be addressing Speech for Tessa, so we would still need to make sure we were providing her with the other therapies she needs (PT, OT, etc.)  If we could get Tessa in a program for a year or two to really help build the foundation of communication for her...it would be incredible.  It would be such a gift to give our little girl all the opportunity in the world to learn to express herself!

These types of decisions are so easy and so incredibly difficult at the same time.  We are always wanting to make sure life is well-rounded...not only for Tessa but of course for Parker too.  At this point it is hard to imagine 1 1/2 hours on the road to get Tessa to and from Preschool...but when you consider how life-changing this scenario could be for her...a year or two of it seems worth every minute and every mile.  At the same time, being a working mother, and considering traffic and how the time I spend on the road would be time I'm sacrificing with Parker....the decision becomes very challenging for me.

Thus....we have Lots of praying to do.  We trust that if this is the right opportunity for Tessa, that the Lord will continue to open the doors in that direction for us.  Our job is to stay faithfully in His word and His will so when the time comes, His direction for our family is very clear! 

Here's a look at our visit :)

Tessa was just taking it all in and made some new friends too!

This was by far her favorite!

This sweet little friend wanted to join the fun!

~Whitney

*I found this information this morning, it was interesting to read how the Graduate Assistants are involved in the Preschool Program at UCO:

http://www.uco.edu/ceps/files/sps/slp-ga-application.pdf

UCO Hearing Impaired Preschool Classroom GA: (typically four 10-hour per week GA positions)
Graduate assistants in the UCO Hearing Impaired Preschool are supported each semester through an annual contract with
Department of Rehabilitative Services/Oklahoma School for the Deaf. These GAs are engaged in assisting the Teacher of the
Hearing Impaired, Ms. Melanie Coldren, who is employed by DRS/OSD. Preschool GAs must have at least beginner-level
skills in Signing Exact English. The Preschool serves 10-20 children from a number of school districts in and around the
metropolitan area who are hearing impaired and may present other challenging conditions as well. The schedule for the
Preschool follows the calendar for the Edmond Public Schools. For classroom GAs, a proportion of the assigned hours in the
Preschool will translate into a specified number of clock hours that are counted toward practicum requirements.
The duties of these GAs include at least the following:
1. Assisting with the daily classroom management activities to include
a. greeting children in arriving at and leaving the Preschool;
b. preparing and serving snacks;
c. accompanying children to restroom, playground;
d. assisting with classroom and child clean up.
2. Developing teaching materials and activities for group sessions.
3. Providing ongoing language stimulation.
4. Assisting with hearing evaluations, tympanograms, and auditory trainers