Birth to 5 Outreach Services

CDHY Birth to Five Outreach Services provide comprehensive support for young children, their families, and early childhood educators. Our team includes early childhood specialists such as Teachers of the Deaf (TODs), Family Engagement Specialists (FES), and Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs), who offer personalized guidance and involvement. We provide birth-to-3 home visit services (in-person and virtual), assist with Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) development and support.  We also assist with transition to preschool, eligibility evaluations, IEP development, and direct student and preschool program support.  Outreach services include assessments & evaluations, family ASL classes, targeted family and professional development trainings, as well as engaging Family Nights and playgroups, ensuring a well-rounded approach to early childhood development and family support provided by experts in Deaf/Hard of Hearing early childhood education.

Our Early Childhood Teachers of the Deaf (EC TOD) can provide instruction in academic, communication, language, self-advocacy and social skills based on individual needs of the student. In addition, they can consult with school staff to support classroom environment (acoustical and visual access), support listening technology management, and overall access in the school setting.

Our school psychologists, with fluent signing skills, can provide evaluation services to assess students’ current level of cognitive and academic functioning in order to assist with determination of the students’ disability category and educational programming. Our team of school psychologists conduct cognitive and academic assessments to support eligibility determination and placement. In addition, they provide feedback on functional behavior assessments and positive behavior intervention plan development, and assist with interpretation of social-emotional and adaptive assessment results.

Our social-emotional learning (SEL) team consists of our behavior specialist, school counselor, and school psychologists. While the specific services of this team’s members vary depending on specialty, there are many overlapping layers that contribute to a holistic view of mental, social-emotional, and behavioral health. Our focus is the whole child and our effort is to bring a well-rounded approach which accentuates individual strengths and supports gaps and emergent skill.

Our speech-language pathologists (SLP) conduct assessments on students’ speech, language, and communication skills. Our SLPs provide evaluations for language and articulation and make recommendations for appropriate accommodations to support classroom learning. In addition, strategies for supporting student language development, communication goals, and therapy activities are recommended based on the results of the assessments and evaluations conducted.

Our American Sign Language (ASL) specialist provides consultation and recommendations for curriculum, accommodations, and modifications to fit students’ specific needs. This includes assistance with educational programming as needed, language acquisition and planning support, and 504/IEP development. The ASL specialist also conducts evaluation of students’ current level of functioning in both the receptive and expressive use of ASL. Our specialist will review student files, conduct observation and individual testing, scoring, and interpretation of results, and participate in follow up meetings with students, parents, and professionals on-site or remotely at the district’s discretion.

Our team of audiologists provide consultation regarding the educational implications of hearing loss and interpretation of audiological evaluations. In addition, our team makes recommendations regarding appropriate Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT) for classrooms and individual students. Other accommodations and modifications are addressed to ensure that students have adequate auditory access to their learning environment. Our team of audiologists also provide support for staff regarding appropriate use of personal amplification devices (hearing aids, cochlear implants, bone conduction hearing systems) and HAT, and troubleshooting techniques for these devices. Functional Listening Evaluations are offered as well to determine how a students’ listening abilities are affected by noise, distance, and visual input in their learning environment and offer recommendations for improving classroom acoustics.

In 2011, Washington’s Governor signed House Bill 1144 which requires that all educational interpreters pass certain standards by 2016. Those standards include passage of the written portion of the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) exam, and passage of the EIPA performance exam, with a score of 4.0 or above or passage of the written EIPA exam, and a national certification from either the NIC or RID, i.e. NIC, CI, CT. The EIPA is administered by Boy’s Town in Nebraska, more information is available at classroominterreting.org. In order to ensure compliance with House Bill 1144, our certified interpreter is able to facilitate evaluations of your school district’s interpreters when their direct supervisors do not sign. The evaluations can be in American Sign Language (ASL), Signing Exact English (SEE), or Contact sign. Evaluations can also be conducted to support the district’s interview process, assess interpreters’ skill level (ASL or SEE), and contribute to an annual evaluation by reviewing skill level and professional development goals. Our interpreter works with your district or program to assist with optimizing use of the educational interpreter in their particular setting and facilitate discussion with interpreters and school staff regarding the role of the interpreter. Our interpreter can also assist with job description development for districts who need interpreter support and interview support for potential candidates to ensure quality. EIPA interpreter mentorship is also available.

Our transition specialist can provide assessment for transition and transition planning in collaboration with district staff as well as adult service agencies.

Birth to 5 Team

Meet the team!

Kris ChingDirector of Outreach Services, Birth-5
Kerianne ChristieCo-Director of Outreach Services, Birth-3
Krissy WalkerFamily Engagement Specialist
Stephanie AndersenFamily Engagement Specialist
Deirdre CurleSpeech Language Pathologist
April BippusTeacher of the Deaf
Amy Kyler-YanoTeacher of the Deaf
Kristi MorrisonTeacher of the Deaf

Talk with an outreach specialist

Learn more about how we can provide the necessary evaluation and services to help your child succeed.

Contact Us