Between birth and the age of 3 is a critical language learning window and research shows that early intervention provides the best opportunity for a child to be ready to start learning in school.

Northern Voices is the only non-profit educational option for deaf/hard of hearing children from birth – 5 in the MN.  They teach deaf/hard of hearing children how to use listening and spoken language to communicate so they can be successful as they mainstream into their home kindergarten classes.

The mission of Northern Voices is to be an educational option and resource for every family that chooses listening and spoken language as the way to help their child with hearing loss reach their full potential. Northern Voices attracts families from across the Midwest.

The problem is; deafness is a low incidence disability and Northern Voices averages around 20-30 students per year. Most often, these students are not funded by the school districts and the parents are required to pay tuition. The success of Northern Voices depends on low student teacher ratio with highly trained deaf/hard of hearing teachers which means the cost per year is around $30,000/child.

The school has operated at a deficit for about the past 10 years primarily because it provides significant scholarships for the majority of families who could not afford the tuition cost. The school has been pulling from its reserves and sadly, is at a point where that is no longer possible.  The additional impact of the temporary closure resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has made the situation worse.

Want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money to help the school and the families they server get through this situation.  Any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

More information about Northern Voices: www.northernvoices.org