Following an amazing year for The Elizabeth Foundation in which we "raised the roof" of our family centre in Hampshire, we are now looking to complete our capital build projects with the building of a new Early Intervention Unit for our very youngest deaf children. The new unit will provide deaf babies and toddlers with the space and appropriate environment to meet the continual and growing demand for Early Intervention, enabling The Elizabeth Foundation to become a Centre of Excellence in Language Development. Within the new unit parents will attend sessions with their child at least twice a week, learning strategies and ideas for the development of all important attention, listening, pre verbal and early language skills. We will offer practical support to the whole family, introducing grandparent and sibling days so that everyone can understand how best to support a deaf child. This has been subject to trial in the past and has proved hugely successful. Parents will learn how to use, monitor and maintain the hearing aid equipment available to their deaf child, meaning fewer visits to their doctors or hospital. A wide range of focused activities will engage babies & toddlers, stimulating residual hearing and nurturing the strong listening skills that will equip them for their journey to developing speech and language. When the deaf toddler is ready he / she will move up to our wonderful pre school classes and intensive one to one sessions within our “Demonstration Home”, giving our deaf children a holistic education throughout their time with us. We will share knowledge /teaching methods, offering placements to University students for whom it is essential to understand the key to oral communication We will share best practice with our key audiological partners and like minded organisations both within the UK and the US We will continue to support the development of some of the UKs finest Teachers of the Deaf, sharing resources, experience and knowledge. The new unit will cost £234,691 in total and we are delighted to have already received pledges of £165,000 toward this first rate and much needed project. Please help us complete this project by talking to us about a grant or donation - we would be happy to show you our plans and welcome you to our family centre to see our work first hand