Children's Choice for Hearing and Talking Sacramento

Children who are identified with hearing loss and who do not receive early intervention services fall behind their hearing peers in speech, language, listening, social, and literacy skills. Successful outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) are possible through hearing assistive technology such as hearing aids and cochlear implants, but they must be accompanied by intense specialized listening and spoken language (LSL) training. CCHAT is an innovative and effective program focused on teaching children with hearing loss to listen and develop spoken language. CCHAT continues to grow and refine our specialized services and delivery model to best meet the needs of this unique population. Children with hearing loss who attend our program and acquire LSL skills are able to access the full range of educational, social and vocational choices in life. Over 60 children from birth through third grade and their families benefited from services at the CCHAT Center during the year. Students attending the CCHAT Center were supported by their Local Education Agencies, but a funding gap remained. The funding gap between the cost for services and tuition was met by development income including individual donations, corporate donations, foundation grants and events. In addition to specialized LSL services, CCHAT provides audiological screening and diagnostic testing for infants. CCHAT also provides deaf and hard of hearing support services for more than 300 children in mainstream education settings.