Supporting Families Through Early Communication: Baby Signs® Training in Oregon
In August, the Baby Signs® Program(opens in new tab) had the opportunity to partner with Healthy Families Washington County to bring Baby Signs® training for professionals to people serving babies, toddlers, and families throughout Oregon.
Over three days, participants took part in both our in-person Baby Signs® Instructor Certification Training and our Workshop for Professionals. Together, these trainings provided practical tools for supporting early communication, strengthening caregiver-child relationships, and helping reduce some of the frustration that can occur before young children are able to clearly express themselves with words.
Preparing New Baby Signs® Certified Instructors
The first two days were devoted to our in-person Baby Signs® Instructor Certification Training(opens in new tab).
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During this intensive, hands-on training, participants learned about the research and benefits(opens in new tab) behind the Baby Signs® Program(opens in new tab), how simple signs can support infant and toddler communication, and how to introduce the program to families and professionals in their own communities.
Participants also practiced teaching signs, leading activities, presenting program information, and using Baby Signs® resources with a variety of audiences.
By the end of the training, participants had completed the requirements to become Baby Signs® Independent Certified Instructors, giving them the tools and resources to bring Baby Signs® classes, workshops, and trainings to the families and organizations they serve.
For agencies and organizations, having trained instructors on staff can make it easier to incorporate Baby Signs® into existing family support, home visiting, early childhood, and parent education services.
Practical Tools for Family-Serving Professionals
The week concluded with our Baby Signs® Workshop for Professionals(opens in new tab), a two-hour early childhood professional development workshop designed for people who work directly with babies, toddlers, parents, and caregivers.
Participants learned how to incorporate simple signs into everyday interactions and routines, including mealtimes, play, transitions, caregiving routines, and other common moments throughout the day.
The goal is not to replace spoken language. Instead, signs give babies and toddlers another way to communicate while their verbal skills are still developing.
For home visitors and other family-serving professionals, these simple communication tools can also provide another way to model responsive interactions between caregivers and young children.
Professionals From Across Oregon
One of the highlights of the training was the wide range of organizations and programs represented.
Participants joined us from Healthy Families programs, Early Head Start, Help Me Grow, public health, relief nurseries, libraries, childcare programs, and other organizations supporting young children and families throughout Oregon.
Organizations represented included:
- Community Action Organization
- LifeWorks NW
- Impact NW
- Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO)
- Insights Teen Parent Services
- UCAN Healthy Families Oregon
- A Family Place / Lutheran Community Services Northwest
- Community Action Early Head Start
- Help Me Grow Oregon
- Washington County Public Health
- Washington County Family Connects
- Monmouth Public Library
- Beaverton City Library
- Hillsboro Public Library
- Bambinos Oregon
- United Way Early Learning
- Children’s Relief Nursery
- Healthy Families of the High Desert
- and independent trainers and early childhood professionals
It was especially rewarding to see professionals from different communities, programs, and service systems learning together and sharing ideas about how Baby Signs® could complement the work they are already doing with families.
Supporting the People Who Support Families
Home visitors, early childhood educators, family support specialists, librarians, public health professionals, and other family-serving professionals are in a unique position to introduce caregivers to simple strategies that can make everyday interactions with young children easier and more meaningful.
Baby Signs® gives professionals practical tools they can demonstrate during the real-life routines families are already experiencing.
A sign such as MORE can give a baby a way to request another bite or another turn. HELP can provide a toddler with another way to ask for assistance. ALL DONE can make the end of an activity or mealtime easier to communicate.
These may seem like small interactions, but they create valuable opportunities for communication, responsiveness, and connection between young children and the adults who care for them.
Why Early Communication Support Matters
Before children can say everything they want or need to say, they still have a great deal to communicate.
Giving babies and toddlers access to simple signs can provide them with a way to participate more actively in everyday interactions. For caregivers, it can offer additional insight into what their child is thinking, noticing, wanting, or feeling.
For professionals working alongside families, Baby Signs® provides a practical, family-friendly communication strategy that can be introduced naturally during existing routines and services.
That makes Baby Signs® training especially well suited for home visiting programs, Healthy Families programs, Early Head Start and Head Start, early childhood organizations, public health agencies, libraries, and other programs serving young children and their caregivers.
Thank You to Healthy Families Washington County
We are grateful to Healthy Families Washington County and Community Action Organization for bringing the Baby Signs® Program to Oregon and helping make these trainings possible.
We also want to thank every professional who participated. Their enthusiasm, thoughtful questions, willingness to participate, and commitment to the children and families they serve made the experience especially meaningful.
We look forward to seeing how these newly trained professionals bring Baby Signs® into their programs and communities throughout Oregon.
Bring Baby Signs® Training to Your Organization
The Baby Signs® Program offers agency training and early childhood professional development(opens in new tab) options for Healthy Families programs, home visiting programs, Early Head Start and Head Start programs, early childhood organizations, public health agencies, libraries, childcare programs, and other organizations serving babies, toddlers, and families.
Organizations can choose from options including Baby Signs® Instructor Certification(opens in new tab), the Workshop for Professionals(opens in new tab), and Early Childhood Educator Training and Center Certification(opens in new tab), depending on their goals and the needs of their staff and families.
Whether you are looking to provide professional development for your team, certify staff members as Baby Signs® instructors, or equip your organization with practical communication resources to use with families, we can help identify the best fit.
Explore Baby Signs® agency training and professional development opportunities, or contact us(opens in new tab) to discuss training options for your organization.
