There are similar programs in Texas, California and Tennessee. The other Ohio public school preschool program for hearing-impaired youngsters is in Cleveland.

Janette Bravis calls the program at Prairie College Elementary School in Canton a godsend that will help her son be better prepared for kindergarten.

"It was so important for him in building his language skills," she said.

The Educational Service Center at the Canton school district, which began the half-day program in January with five children, plans to expand it to a full day next fall and add students.

The free program includes an "Audiology Center," comprised of high-tech equipment that includes a gigantic soundproof booth and the ability to test infants.

The Audiology Center will serve children in 16 area school districts and audiologists are expected to evaluate more than 800 children a year there. Quota International of Massillon and the Timken Foundation donated $80,000 to help buy the necessary equipment.

"We keep providing support that these kids need," said Carrie Spangler, an educational audiologist with the Educational Service Center.

The center estimates that 14 children born in Stark County each year have significant hearing loss. Nationally, hearing loss affects about 17 in 1,000 children under age 18, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

It's critical for their verbal and academic development that they be identified and helped as early as possible, said Spangler, who is hearing-impaired.

"I know the struggles that a child goes through," she said.

The SPEAK program also has children with no hearing problems who serve as a peer role model for the others.

The goal is to get the students ready for regular school situations.

Each day, teacher Eileen Johnson and teaching assistant Sabrina Kegley first check hearing aids to make sure they are working properly. The educators are wired with small microphones that allow their voices to be heard directly by the devices.

There are lessons, lunch and play as well as an emphasis on getting the children to listen and repeat words.

In one exercise, Johnson, who is trained in teaching hearing-impaired children, covers her mouth, forcing the children to listen and not rely on lip-reading.

Teaching these children can be difficult because of their developmental challenges and the focus they must maintain.

Because the preschool program is so rare in Ohio, the center has received inquiries from people in Summit and Tuscarawas counties about enrolling their children there.

"We're really fortunate in Stark County to provide these services," Spangler said.

Source: http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/14556374.htm