THE CHILD LANGUAGE CENTER INC

THE CLC'S EARLY-INTERVENTION PROGRAMS ARE DESIGNED TO GIVE YOUNG CHILDREN ACCESS TO ORAL LANGUAGE AND LEARNING EXPERIENCES, WHICH ARE FOUNDATIONAL FOR SUCCESSFUL LANGUAGE, LITERACY, SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT: WINGS ON WORDS (WOW) PRESCHOOL (AUG - MAY) SERVES UP TO 72 CHILDREN, 2-5 YEARS OLD, WITH AND WITHOUT SPEECH-LANGUAGE DEFICITS. APPROXIMATELY 60% OF CHILDREN ENROLLED REQUIRE SPEECH-LANGUAGE THERAPY SERVICES, WHICH ARE EMBEDDED INTO THE PRESCHOOL DAY USING A HYBRID SERVICE DELIVERY MODEL (INDIVIDUAL, SMALL GROUP AND CLASSROOM-BASED). LICENSED AND CERTIFIED SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS ON THE WOW STAFF PLAN, IMPLEMENT AND SUPERVISE THE SERVICE PROVISION AND PRACTICUM OF UP TO FIVE GRADUATE STUDENT CLINICIANS EACH SEMESTER. IN THE CLASSROOM, THE SCHOOL'S EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS HAVE, COLLECTIVELY, AN AVERAGE OF 15+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AT WINGS ON WORDS. THEIR DEDICATION AND COMMITMENT TO THE CENTER'S MISSION IS AT THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE PROGRAM'S SUCCESS. IN ADDITION, WOW HAS RECENTLY BEGUN EMPLOYING SLP-ASSISTANTS, WHO DUALLY SERVE AS CLASSROOM INSTRUCTIONAL AIDES. THIS ALLOWS FOR INTENTIONAL, FOCUSED AND NEARLY UNINTERRUPTED SPEECH-LANGUAGE FACILITATION THROUGHOUT THE PRESCHOOL DAY. WOW SUMMER CAMP (MAY - JUNE) CLC'S PROGRAMS BEGAN IN 1991 WITH THE WOW SUMMER CAMP TO MEET THE DEMAND FOR SPEECH-LANGUAGE SERVICES FOR PRESCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN AND SUPPORT SLHS TREATMENT RESEARCH IN EARLY CHILDHOOD LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT. THE CAMP CONTINUES TO BE IN HIGH DEMAND WITH WAIT LISTS FOR ENROLLMENT TYPICALLY FILLED BY EARLY APRIL EACH YEAR. ON AVERAGE, 90% OF THOSE ENROLLED IN SUMMER CAMP REQUIRE SPEECH-LANGUAGE INTERVENTION SERVICES, WHICH ARE PROVIDED MORE INTENSIVELY (FOUR TIMES PER WEEK VS. TWO TIMES PER WEEK) DURING THE 5-WEEK CAMP EXPERIENCE. TO MEET COMMUNITY DEMAND, CAMP ENROLLMENT WAS EXPANDED IN 2014 TO INCLUDE CHILDREN IN K-1ST GRADE, WHO WERE STRUGGLING NEW READERS. THIS CLASSROOM, CALLED SOARING INTO READING, WAS EXPANDED AGAIN IN 2018, TO ALSO INCLUDE CHILDREN IN 2ND GRADE.STATISTICS SIGNAL A CONTINUED, AND URGENTLY GROWING NEED FOR LITERACY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS, LIKE OURS, IN THE COMMUNITY. CHILDREN DIAGNOSED WITH SPEECH-LANGUAGE DEFICITS, AND SPECIFICALLY, DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE DISORDER (INCIDENCE: 1 IN 15), ARE AT GREATER RISK FOR LITERACY DEFICITS AND ACADEMIC FAILURE.IN 2019, ONLY 46% OF 3RD GRADERS IN PIMA COUNTY WERE READING AT GRADE LEVEL. THE ABILITY TO READ AT PROFICIENT LEVELS BY THE END OF THIRD GRADE CAN SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT THE TRAJECTORY OF A STUDENT'S EDUCATION. RESEARCH FROM THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FOUND THAT "STUDENTS READING PROFICIENTLY BY THE END OF THIRD GRADE ARE FIVE TIMES MORE SUCCESSFUL AT ACHIEVING COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS AS THEIR NON-PROFICIENT PEERS." FURTHER COMPELLING RESEARCH FROM A UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO STUDY FOUND THAT LESS THAN 20 PERCENT OF STUDENTS WHO WERE READING BELOW GRADE LEVEL ATTENDED COLLEGE, COMPARED TO ABOUT A THIRD OF STUDENTS WHO WERE READING AT GRADE LEVEL, AND NEARLY 60 PERCENT OF STUDENTS WHO WERE READING ABOVE GRADE LEVEL.