CityMommy

Wednesday Feature: CityMommy interviews Hop to Signaroo

Submitted By :

lilredheadgirl

CityMommy Interview with Nancy Hanauer of Hop to Signaroo ® http://www.hoptosignaroo.com

Please tell us a little bit about your business/site?

My business is called Hop to Signaroo ® and I teach hearing families how to use American Sign Language (ASL) with their hearing babies and toddlers, to aid early communication and reduce frustration. As early as five months of age, babies can sign "feed me", "diaper change", "milk", "pain" and so much more, and this really helps take the guesswork out of parenting. Early communication and reduced frustration are literally at your fingertips!

How long have you been in business? How did you get your business started?

I started Hop to Signaroo ® in Fall of 2000. Before that I was a Special Education teacher working with deaf kids and hearing kids with language delays and learning disabilities. I had heard about the use of sign language with hearing babies at the beginning of my career, nine years earlier. When I left Special Education in 2000, I started offering classes on a part-time basis and the response was wonderful, so I now run my business full-time.

Is your business online, or a physical location or both?

I teach my classes throughout the Greater Seattle Area - in people's homes, through Swedish Medical Centers, in childcare centers and I'm often a presenter for early education conferences and programming through King County and Sno-Isle Library Systems. I also have an online store on my website where I sell my Roo-minder Rings, which are sets of laminated ASL instruction and reminder cards on an oversized ring. The ring can be hooked onto a diaper bag, stroller or high chair or individual cards can be posted around the house to remind parents to sign consistently with their little one.

What do you enjoy most about running your business/site?

Of course, I love working with all those adorable babies! I also love using my teaching and sign language background in this unique way to help families bond with their little one, reduce frustration and give them a jumpstart on positive communication. I really enjoy winning over skeptical parents (sometimes the daddies are skeptical) and I appreciate the fact that the parents I work with say that my classes are a lot of fun and, more importantly, that signing greatly reduced their family's frustrations and was one of the most beneficial things they did with their baby in the first year. I hear that a lot and it makes me immensely proud of the business I've created, and that I'm fortunate to be able to work with so many wonderful families.

Is there a favorite product or service that you offer?

Well of course I'm a little biased, but I think my Safety and Comfort and Mealtime Roo-minder Rings TM are one of the best teaching aids on the market, if parents want to give self-instruction of ASL a try. Parents don't have time to read a book on signing and my Roo-minder Rings TM provide a very user-friendly, fast way to learn. The two sets include the most relevant signs you'd want to focus on when you begin signing with your baby or toddler. The cards are laminated and have clear photos of adults signing along with descriptions of how to produce the signs and memory aids to remember the signs. However, learning a visual language, like American Sign Language, on your own can be tricky. My four-week classes are my most popular educational option because families receive four-weeks of support, feedback, review, accountability and they learn through fun, hands-on practice with stories, songs and games! I offer different class options at various price points and scholarships are available for my classes through Swedish Medical Centers.

Anything else you would like to share about your business? Being a working parent? Etc...

Stay tuned for more products from Hop to Signaroo ®. I've got other ideas in the works for great quality ASL educational items! And as for being a working parent, well I'm not a working parent...yet. At this point, more than 3,000 parents and 1500+ babies have graduated from my four-week classes, but I still don't have first hand experience signing with a baby of my own...yet. I know it will happen someday and I look forward to that amazing feeling of effectively communicating with my baby before he or she can speak and being able to meet the baby's needs so much more easily. In the meantime, I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to work with other parents' little ones and share in the joy they bring!