Welcome to the University of Maryland's
​Teen Parent/Young Child READ 2 ME (R2M)
Speech-Language Therapy & Emergent Literacy
​Research Program

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The Hearing and Speech Clinic's (HESP) R2M program will be implementing a teen parent-young child emergent literacy program held within local high schools near the University of Maryland (UMD). Speech-language pathologists (SLP), who are UMD clinical faculty in HESP with over 35 years experience collectively, will be working alongside Master’s SLP graduate and undergraduate students to conduct this R2M program.

Program
HESP's Read 2 Me (R2M) program is a teen parent/young child speech and language therapy and enrichment research program that meets for 12 sessions for 90-minutes each.  Caregivers and their young children will participate in activities planned around the book of the day.   Each of the ten (10) R2M days, teen parents will participate in a 45-minute interactive book-reading and speech-language enrichment training. Their toddlers and preschoolers will concurrently participate in R2M's theme-based, speech-language enrichment activities in another room.  In the final 45-minutes of each day caregivers will participate with their child in a variety of multi-sensory learning and play stations that complement the language concepts and parent training lessons. These lessons will be centered around the book of the day to include a closing circle time summarizing what was addressed that day.   

Teen parents will be  invited to a password protected webpage to see follow-up R2M activities and related books they can read to their child at home.  

NOTE:  Two additional sessions for pre- and post- speech-language/literacy measures  and video-taping of parent-child reading activities will be completed on the teen parents and their young children during this program. A written summary of the results of the initial speech-language measures will be provided to the parents.  

Enrollment
A pre-screening process will be conducted in order for the teen parent and their child to qualify for this R2M program.  

Payment
Tuition for teen parents and their young children enrolled in the R2M program is anticipated to be covered by grant funding.  Services include:
  • Speech-Language/literacy pre-post measures for both teen parent and child to include report
  • Ten (10) 45-minute evidence-based, language and early literacy enrichment classes for young children
  • Ten (10) 45- minute parent training sessions on ways to stimulate emergent literacy and speech-language skills in a small group, relaxed atmosphere

See our FAQs on the main menu for more information!
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Sample HESP R2M schedule:

HESP R2M children transition to the circle time area
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Welcome song 
Read theme book
​Each child has a theme item that goes with the book
Book theme-related activities
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Caregivers go to a separate room for  interactive book-reading/emergent literacy and speech-language enrichment training and ways to expand book activities
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Parents and children transition to the same room. Multi-sensory, book-of-the-week, theme-based stations are set-up around the room.  HESP R2M SLP MA graduate and undergraduate students facilitate and reinforce language and emergent literacy activities at these stations e.g., movement, art, dramatic play and other play-based extensions of the book.
  
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Closing group circle activity with caregivers.
Closing circle with review
Goodbye song 
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Book of the week stations are planned that include engaging role-play, art, music and movement activities.
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Parachute play during circle time
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Friends hanging out
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Parents in circle time
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Fun parent/child interactive book-reading and activities are planned each R2M day.
Let the learning & adventure begin!!!