How American Sign Language Classes Can Help Toddlers Reach Their Potential

Decades of academic research has proven the long-term benefits that early childhood education programs based on American Sign Language can offer to young minds. In numerous studies, an early education in American Sign Language classes has been shown to improve linguistic proficiency in children. One New York based school is now putting that research into action with innovative classes that will enhance your child’s cognitive development and provide them with a structured foundation for continued educational success.

Baby Fingers, celebrating nearly 11 years of success, is a leading educational program that provides American Sign Language Classes for toddlers, babies and their parents. Their superb classes combine instruction in sign language and music to aid in the development of cognitive, social, and communication skills. Through the Baby Fingers’ “Mommy and Me” American Sign Language classes for babies and toddlers, young children will develop accelerated linguistic proficiency through songs and play alongside their peers.

In Level One, young babies – including newborns – through to children aged 15-months-old will learn a set of “need-based” vocabulary words and practical applications that encourage self expression through a true language, even pre-verbally. Level Two consists of an interest-based curriculum, which provides toddlers with an introduction to American Sign Language through the learning of basic signs. The interest-based nature of Level Two classes ensures that toddlers are fully engaged in their continued development of language, speech, and communication skills. Once at Level Three, toddlers aged 18-months to 3 years begin to learn language that is more complex. At this stage, toddlers will be taught how to link words and signs as they prosper and form an advanced understanding of the syntactic intricacies of American Sign Language and spoken language.

Additionally, Baby Fingers is now providing American Sign Language dance classes for toddlers. These classes are developed through the concept of using dance to help children increase their spatial awareness, motor co-ordination and communicative capacity. Through unique, targeted lessons, children will gain the confidence to express themselves and interact positively with their environment.

To ensure that everyone can take advantage of this breakthrough in early childhood education, this exceptional American Sign Language program is now being offered around the country through innovative webinars. By joining forces with InstantPresenter.com, Baby Fingers is able to provide children across the globe with access to live and interactive classes directly within the comfort of their own home. These highly specialized webinars are as cost-effective as they are functional and provide a superb avenue for both helping your child to enhance their linguistic understanding and cementing the bond between parent and child. These extensive webinars cover topics such as a family signs, food, mealtime, places to go, favourite songs and many, many more.

The exceptional programs offered through Baby Fingers will provide your child with a launching pad from which they will quickly advance their understanding of the world around them. Ensure that your child has the best start to their education by selecting from the extensive classes available through New York’s most reputable sign language teaching program, Baby Fingers.

About Baby Fingers:
Created in 2000, Baby Fingers is an innovative teaching program that uses a unique combination of American Sign Language, music, games, stories and dramatic play to aid the child’s development in the areas of language, spatial reasoning, and motor skills. For more information about the company and the classes they offer, please visit mybabyfingers.

Baby Fingers LLC, founded by Lora Heller, Board Certified and Licensed Music Therapist with a M.Sc. in Special Education/Deaf Education, specializing in music mediated sign language instruction. For more information, visit www.mybabyfingers.com.

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Tax freeze within reach

Mayor Joe Fontana is already within striking distance of his vowed 2011 tax freeze, amid surprise belt-tightening at city hall.

But that wasn’t the battle that lit up the new council’s first meeting Tuesday night.

While council was told civic departments had cut $4.4 million from next year’s budget, and that projected tax-base growth is jumping considerably, politicians instead sparred over a pressure-packed push to freeze water and sewer charges next year.

“It’s not just a matter of how many dollars (we save),” Coun. Nancy Branscombe protested about the call to cut the hefty increases, which she argued would cause greater future costs. “It’s the long-term implications.”

Holding the line on water sewer rates would cut up to $10 million from the city’s planned 2011 revenues, saving the average homeowner about $37 next year.

Fontana, who’s promised to freeze taxes for four years and the charges for at least 2011, pushed his plan despite assurances it would delay scheduled renewal work on underground pipes and other public works.

“I worry more about the sustainability of the taxpayer because if the taxpayer isn’t sustainable, then the city isn’t sustainable — not the other way around,” he said.

Some councillors, notably Judy Bryant, warned the freeze on water and sewer rates could lead to another “sinkhole” like the one at King and Wellington streets that brought the city embarrassing national attention in 2007.

City engineer Pat McNally also said delaying a project from 2011 until 2012 or beyond will increase its price and end up costing taxpayers more.

Even still, councillors voted to recommend the freeze — it has to be put in place in time for Jan. 1, when planned hikes would kick in — by an 9-6 vote. That goes to a final vote Dec. 20.

Joining Fontana in supporting the freeze were Stephen Orser, Bud Polhill, Joe Swan, Matt Brown, Dale Henderson, Paul Van Meerbergen, Denise Brown and Sandy White.

The earlier-than-expected water-sewer debate popped up Tuesday night amid another surprise: the city hall spending cuts.

With civic departments — environmental services, for example — already set to freeze their budgets for the second straight year, $4.4 million in extra savings were announced by city manager Jeff Fielding.

Those savings come from workforce and program review work ($1.8 million) and wages and benefits reductions ($2.6 million).

Fielding will unveil the details Dec. 15.

The cuts won’t affect service levels, he said.

They bring the projected 2011 tax hike down to 1.7% from 2.7%.

With financial staff saying tax-base growth should double projections to about 1%, that leaves the tax increase at about 0.6%.

Councillors will ask outside boards and commissions, such as London Transit and the police, to help find that much in savings.

The savings Fielding detailed have been found much more quickly than expected, suggesting the work started in anticipation of the arrival of Fontana, who was elected Oct. 25 but only took power last week.

Fontana was nimble in handling his first city hall meeting in more than 20 years, but there were more than a few tense moments between he and his new colleagues.

Most notable came after what appeared to be a rather calm discussion over whether freezing water and sewer rates was irresponsible and could end up costing taxpayers more.

Fontana lashed out, saying that using words such as “irresponsible” will “impugn” the credibility of fellow politicians.

Polhill chairs planning

Joni Baechler was voted out Tuesday as chair of council’s new planning committee, an unexpected twist as politicians decided each other’s assignments.

Baechler, who had chaired planning, asked to lead the new built and natural environment committee — but council instead voted 8-7 to hand the reins to Bud Polhill.

Those who voted for Polhill, considered much more developer-friendly than Baechler, who’s pushed to have city staff control growth, were Mayor Joe Fontana, Stephen Orser, Matt Brown, Dale Henderson, Paul Van Meerbergen, Denise Brown, Sandy White and Polhill himself.

Joining Polhill on the committee are Baechler, Joe Swan, White and Denise Brown.

The other two standing committees are finance and community and neighbourhoods.

Finance, considered the most influential, will be chaired by the mayor. He’ll be joined by Nancy Branscombe, Paul Hubert, Judy Bryant and Henderson.

Community-neighbourhoods will be chaired by Harold Usher. Its other members are Van Meerbergen, Orser, Matt Brown and Bill Armstrong.

The committees, which do early legwork and make recommendations to full council, will meet for the first time next week.

patrick.maloney@sunmedia.ca

twitter.com/patatLFPress

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