February is a very fun month at Child’s Voice with a lot of celebrating. We celebrate love and appreciation for one another with Valentine’s Day. The kids spend the day playing games, exchanging cards, making crafts, and of course having some treats. They have been learning Valentine’s vocabulary words and learning about caring for one another and their families.
The other big celebration we have is Child’s Voice’s 27th birthday! We have grown so much as a program in the past 27 years and so have our children and families. I am so proud of how many lives Child’s Voice has touched.
As I walk down alumni hall, I am in awe of how many college and university banners we have hanging that represent our alums’ higher education. We have had nearly 250 students graduate our school program and even more that have attended our Early Intervention programs. If you want some history of Child’s Voice please see this video made for our 25th anniversary.
Taking a look back at Child’s Voice and the growth of our programs also reminds me of the growth of the technology that makes it possible for children with hearing loss to learn to listen and talk. The first cochlear implant was developed in 1970, so we are now 50 years into this technology. Take a look at the graphic below to see how the cochlear implant has developed over the years.
When I first began in the field in 2006, we were excited by the prospect of children with profound hearing loss having access to sound (with one CI) by the age of 2 years old. Now, we are routinely seeing children receiving their bilateral devices as young as 6 months old. Early devices were much larger and less robust in their processing capabilities. Now we are using single-unit processors controlled by remotes with access to a wide range of options for varied listening environments.
We have learned so much at Child’s Voice over the last 27 years and we are incredibly grateful to share our knowledge and skills with children with hearing loss and their families. Thank you for all you do for Child’s Voice so that we can keep our mission going for the next 27 years and beyond!
