Family Education Program
Our Family Education Program here at St. Joseph's School for the Deaf is a family-centered program, devised to help families get the support they need in raising their Deaf children. The group meets once a week for 2 hours.
The first hour is Sign Language hour. Families continue to grow in their ability to both understand and use Sign. At times, both in Sign class, and in the supports group, there are opportunities to talk about Deaf culture, and how that culture impacts their children.The second hour is a support group for families to discuss topics of interest, concerns/questions they may have. The social workers often set up guest speakers (for example, how to play with your child, safe use of the internet, understanding Speech services, how to participate in the IEP process), and offer help teaching families limit setting at home. The support group is multilingual including English, Sign and Spanish speaking families.
Families have formed friendships with one another as a result of the Family Education group, allowing them to establish social networks (for example, having their children go on play dates, which often doesn't happen for Deaf children, because they don't attend a neighborhood school and it's hard to get together). Their commitment to the program shows in the growth we see in their children here in school reinforcing the concept of collaboration between home and school. Here at St. Joseph's School for the Deaf, we feel committed to working with our families as part of what we offer the students in our school.
Our families are also involved in:
- Special Events
- Family Education Picnics
- Community Resources
- Helping Hands (food pantry) for families