My son is in childcare full time, and the teachers at his school don't sign. Will Signing Smart work if he only sees signs part of the time?
I work with young children in a childcare/educational setting. Are there any benefits to my signing with the children in my care?
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My son is in childcare full time, and the teachers at his school don't sign. Will Signing Smart work if he only sees signs part of the time?
Definitely! Exciting results from our research with Signing Smart families tells us that it is actually the kinds of interactions you have with your child, rather than the amount of time you spend signing with your baby, that is a predictor of success. By learning even a few of our simple strategies, you will find your whole family enjoying and benefiting from enriched interactions and communication! Therefore, working families can feel confident that when they incorporate signs and Signing Smart techniques into even a few interactions a day, they can enjoy as much success as families in which there is a stay-at-home parent.
Don't forget that childcare centers are often looking to enrich their teachers'
training and incorporate new and exciting practices into their classrooms. Suggest
that your childcare center host a Signing Smart workshop for teachers and aides
(see Programs and Locations
to learn more about our Workshop for Childcare Teachers; see Programs
and Locations to find a Signing Smart Instructor near you). You might also
consider donating a few of our Signing Smart Handbooks and Diaper Bag Dictionary
Flashcard sets to your child's school (see our Store for more details about these and other products; see our Testimonials
pages for more on what others have said about our products and programs).
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I work with young children in a childcare/educational setting. Are there any benefits to my signing with the children in my care?
Absolutely! As a childcare provider you are responsible for the care of a number of children. What could be more helpful to all of you than to be able to use signs to facilitate communication? Instead of having to play 20 questions, even very young children can tell you directly what they want or need. After all, as educators of young children, you play a significant role in the lives of our infants and toddlers. Even if the children's parents do not sign with them, the babies you work with will be able to communicate with you through signs. In fact, a group setting is a perfect one to expose children to Signing Smart; being around other caregivers and children who sign will make it easier for you to reinforce signs and Signing Smart strategies, and for each child to acquire signs herself.
All Signing Smart materials are just as applicable in a group environment as they
are at home. For example, our Diaper Bag Dictionary Flashcard Series is a perfect
way to allow each teacher to choose a selection of relevant signs and hang them
on a bulletin board or above the diaper changing station for easy access (see
our Store for more
details about these and other products; see our Testimonials
pages for more on what others have said about our products and programs. Contact
a Signing Smart instructor near you to set up a training at your school or center
see our Programs and Locations)
page for an instructor near you; (see Programs
and Locations to learn more about our Workshop for Childcare Teachers). Our
Childcare Workshop is developed from the perspective of early childhood education
teachers and we have developed a getting started plan just for those working in
group settings with multiple children! Our research-proven strategies and techniques
will make signing in your classroom simple, fun, and successful, without you needing
to do a great deal of additional work! Workshops can be run during lunch, and
attendees can often receive comp. time or CEUs for attending.