麻豆传媒

The University of Northern Colorado鈥檚 Audiology and Speech-Language Sciences (ASLS) program has been awarded a total of $60,000 since initiating the Greeley Treasure Chest Program in 2017. The program utilizes boxes filled with age-appropriate books and toys to improve children鈥檚 communication and language skills.

In February, the program received $50,000, on top of $5,000 given in both 2017 and 2018, from the . The funding goal is to increase the program鈥檚 reach in the community, number of weekly sessions and treasure chest bins. From fall 2017 to fall 2018, the program reached 36 families and 47 children and compiled around 70 Treasure Chests.

Deeply ingrained in the Greeley community, the program partners with United Way of Weld County and the , where the treasure chests stay and coaching takes place. 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Speech-Language Pathology program sends graduate students to guide parents on how to use the materials in the chests to improve their child鈥檚 emergent literacy and language skills.

鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of this work because anytime we can impact the community while supporting our students, it鈥檚 great. Our students have said positive things about it and feel it鈥檚 helped them learn new skills and become more confident in their ability to work with families,鈥� said Kim Murza, Ph.D., an associate professor and graduate coordinator who also heads the Treasure Chest Program (image at right). 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a great way to align what we do with community partners; it鈥檚 been a lot of work but well worth it.鈥�

Based on the child鈥檚 age, Treasure Chests are specifically created for infant-, toddler- and preschool-age children. Each box contains books and no-battery toys, such as Legos and puppets, to focus on the parent-child interaction. After a graduate student meets with parents to help prepare them, parents take the chests home for two weeks to increase time spent together.

鈥淲e love Treasure Chests because it encourages you to be a good parent. It helps me come alongside and spend time reading and playing with them,鈥� said Amy Huang, who has been a participant in the program for two years with her children, five-year-old Samuel, and two-and-a-half-year-old Isaiah. 鈥淚saiah speaks a lot more since he started the program, his vocabulary has grown and he鈥檚 starting to read now, so that鈥檚 exciting.鈥�

Hannah Breckinridge, a Speech-Language Pathology graduate student, runs the program with three other graduate students. They meet families from 9-11 a.m. every Wednesday in 30-minute sessions and learn early intervention therapy techniques in a community setting.

鈥淭his program is honestly amazing. We鈥檒l get some children who we think are a little delayed at first, but after showing the parents strategies once a week, they鈥檒l come back at the end of the semester and the children are talking and pointing and saying full sentences! Before, they weren鈥檛 even saying single words,鈥� said Breckinridge. 鈥淚t鈥檚 incredible how quickly children can pick up language and how much 30 minutes a week can make an impact.鈥�

The program is now focused on bringing in more diverse, marginalized families and those who may need more support, such as immigrant or refugee families.

鈥擶ritten by Katie-Leigh Corder.