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Age: 34
Number of children and ages: 2 kids; Jackson, 3 and Weston, 1
Current Projects/ Occupation: Owner, Instructor My Smart Hands Austin

You have recently opened My Smart Hands, a signing business for babies and toddlers here in Austin. Tell us a little about the business and why you decided to open it up.

My Smart Hands Austin, we offer classes and workshops based on the Sign with your Baby® program developed by Dr Joseph Garcia. We teach signs taken from American Sign Language (ASL) can help you engage your child in two-way communication. The classes we offer will give you the skills and knowledge you will need to communicate with your preverbal, hearing baby.

When I was pregnant I began reading parenting books, I came across information on sign language. I was first introduced to sign language in college and had developed a strong interest in the language.  The more I learned about signing with babies the more my “new mom” fears diminished.

When my son was only 4 months old I began using the basic signs I had learned in my research; eat, more, and milk. As he began to pick up signs, I realized how much signing helped our communication. By the time my second son was born, I had further developed my knowledge of sign language and was eager to talk to my friends about signing with babies.  I decided that teaching sign would be a perfect fit  for my talents of communication and love for signing. When I came across the program “My Smart Hands.”, I knew it was what I should be doing.  Now, as an Austin Mom and Business owner/instructor for My Smart Hands in Austin, I am able to teach others how to use this wonderful language.

Is this a franchise or is it something that you’ve started from scratch?

It is a franchise that was started by the founder, Laura Berg of Toronto, Canada.

How long have you been teaching signing?

I have been teaching my kids sign for 3 years, and other families since I bought the franchise in February.

Can you tell us about the benefits of teaching babies and toddlers to sign?

The most wonderful benefit is reducing frustrations and tantrums because they are able to tell you what they want or need. And as a mom, that is something we all could use a little less! The others include increased IQ (vs kids who did not learn sign), stronger language development, greater interest in books, increases brain development, increased confidence in their world and greater bonding time between parent and child.

At what age can little ones get started to learn to sign?

You can start signing at birth.  Babies have been known to sign for the first time at 6 months. A typical baby will usually sign between 8-10 months of age.

Have you found that kids who learn from a young age to sign are more delayed in speaking their first words or does it simply help the process of communicating?

Absolutely not! All the studies that have ever been done on using sign language with babies has only improved their overall vocabulary and language skills. Many moms have shared with me that the first words their child spoke where words they knew the sign for. They are creating a connection between the word, object or action and the sign. You are always talking to them, so its not like they are not hearing the word. Actually, they are hearing the word more often because you are spending more time with them to teach them the sign and the word.

Babies can comprehend language and communicate long before they can talk.

Language is not speech; speech is verbal communication – the production of sounds.    Language enables people to interact and share ideas, concepts and information. When you teach a baby sign language you are giving them the gift of communication before the brain has the ability to use speech.

Did you teach your own kids to sign? If so, what pushed you in that direction?

I did teach both my boys sign and I am still teaching them today! My 3 year old is happy to help me teach his baby brother how to sign. I even caught Jackson looking at a picture book with his younger brother, pointing at the picture and showing him the sign, it was adorable!

I was pushed to teach sign because of the endless information I read about the benefits. I was also working at the time and when your child is in daycare you feel guilty about being away from them during the day. Teaching my son to sign was a way to feel like I was spending quality time with him, and when he signed back, I knew I was doing the right thing for both of us!

It seems that most children who have learned to sign often times forget what they’ve learned as they gain more words in their vocabularies. Do you find that kids still use sign language as a way to communicate as they become preschoolers and beyond?

Yes, it is true that around the time that their vocabulary increases the signs tend to decline, but that is when you continue to sign with them. I noticed that my son was no longer interested in signing “milk” or “more”, but wanted to sign “sofa” and “swing”.  We just continued to add to the vocabulary of signing and it stayed fun. Another wonderful thing about signing is when you learn the manual alphabet and teach it to your child, you also increase their reading skills. Jackson can tell you what I am finger spelling because I have been doing it with him for so long, he even learned his phonics through finger spelling with me. Also, kids love to do motions to music and songs, so teaching them the ASL signs to “Itsy, Bitsy Spider” for example, you are teaching ASL ( a second language) and making it fun and interesting.

How often do the kids need to take classes to learn to sign?

When it comes to learning sign language as a baby/toddler/preschooler, its more about the parent. It cannot be learned in just a few short weeks, just 45 minutes a week, it needs to be used consistently at home. That is why I always allow the whole family to take my classes because the more that know it, the more they can do it at home. I have moms, dads, grandparents and siblings in my classes all the time, its a family affair!!

How long does each class last for?

My classes are 8-weeks, meeting one time a week for 45 minutes. They are fun, interactive and educational! We teach at least 15 signs at each class, we learn songs, play games and I teach parents tips on how to incorporate signs into their everyday interaction with their child.

Do you offer free classes for people to try it out before signing up for the class?

Yes! We will usually have free demos leading up to the next class starting dates. For our fall schedule, we have demos in 4 locations:
8/18 Extreme Fun 10am
8/19 Cups and Cones, Steiner Ranch, 10am
8/24 Jungle Java, Round Rock, 10am
8/26 Heartsong Music, 10:30am

Is there a commitment that one has to make upfront?

You just have to register on the website to reserve your space in a demo or class.

What is the cost of taking a class?

The cost is $160 + $20 workbook fee in most locations.

Our Fall schedule of  8-week classses:
9/14 Heartsong Music, Austin, 11:45am-12:30pm
9/16 Cups and Cones, Steiner Ranch, 10am
10/8 Brushy Creek Community Center, 10am and 11am

You can register online for all Fall classes!

This seems like a great business to run while also taking care of kids because you can easily bring them along with you. Have you run into any problems in the early phases of getting this up and running and trying to successfully manage a family at the same time?

I do struggle with finding that balance between family and career. It seems like some days there are just not enough hours in the day to keep kids happy, do all the marketing I need to in order to get my name out there and be a good wife.  I love being a mommy business owner, but you always have those days where you never feel like you are doing both well.  What keeps me staying upbeat about it all is when a parent tells me that their fives are forever changed because they were able to use sign and communicate with their child. Then I know its all worth it and I also know I am doing the best for my family!

How do you see your business growing in the next couple of years?

I would like to have more classes in the area and also educate moms and caregivers alike that learning sign is a positive thing in your child’s life. My long term goal would be to have my own store front that I would have classes for the Austin area, but also share it with other mommy owned businesses like baby massage, music classes, kids yoga, etc.

How long have you lived in Austin?

I have been here 8 1/2 years.

What do you like most about running a business in this city?

The way people really support local businesses and how people are always so friendly and willing to lend a hand. I could not have gotten as far as I have in the few months I have been doing this without the support of strangers who became friends!  Its funny, even when people say no here, they do it in the nicest way! I love this city!

As a mom and a business owner, can you share with us how you manage to de-stress?

I am a triathlete and runner. I have to get my workouts in on a regular basis or I go crazy. I have great training partners and I love just getting out there, training and feeling free! And of course, I squeeze in a daily nap, life does not go well if mommy has not had her nap!

Posted by livemom on Sunday, August 16th, 2009 at 7:39 pm | 2 Comments » You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.