Welcome CID Families
We’re happy you’re here. Watch for CID texts and calendar updates.
- January 20, 2025 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
CID school and offices are closed in observance of MLK Day.
CID school and offices are closed in observance of MLK Day.
Individual Support
Patti Hoffman is CID’s full-time family support specialist dedicated to supporting families beyond their child’s hearing needs. Patti has an undergraduate degree in education, a graduate degree in counseling and years of experience as a CID preschool discovery room teacher. She has worked extensively with children and families to support the challenging and joyous journey of parenting.
Patti provides compassionate and comprehensive services to help individual families navigate raising a child with hearing loss. She offers supportive conversations as well as connections to community resources and to other families with similar experiences. She also organizes and facilitates a variety of in-person and virtual events to give families opportunities to socialize and learn about topics relevant to parenting a child with hearing loss.
Group Support
Hearing from the Heart is CID’s FREE family connection group, offering you time to talk with other families and learn together about parenting your child with a hearing difference. Sessions are offered both virtually and in person to meet your family’s needs.
We provide free after school care for all CID early childhood center and primary school students. Each meeting begins at 5pm with dinner. Learning topics begin at 5:30. University students supervised by CID staff provide child care for your whole family. Our visit together ends at 7pm, giving you time to finish your evening.
Look for a flyer, check the calendar of events or check in with our CID Families Facebook group to RSVP for these free family events!
Some previous topics
- Up-and-coming hearing technology
- Deaf culture and the history of deaf education
- Fun apps to promote language
- Executive function and hearing loss
- Mindful parenting
- Q&As with other parents, teens and young adults who are deaf and hard of hearingContact Patti Hoffman for more information.
Family Connections
Social Events
CID knows the importance of meeting and socializing with other families of children who are deaf and hard of hearing. We offer a variety of social events throughout the year. Past events include CID Night at the Magic House, CID Night at the Ballpark, CID Night at the History Museum, Birth to 3-Year-Old Playdates, Meet the Teacher/Popsicles on the Playground (or Gym) and Family Game Night. These family gatherings are opportunities for parents to get to know one another, for children to engage together in fun activities and for other family members to be around children who are deaf and hard of hearing.
Young Alumni Club
It’s also important for friends to stay connected with one another after leaving us, so we invite our graduates to participate in the CID Young Alumni Club. This group meets several times a year and provides children with opportunities to socialize and have fun with their CID friends.
The serve and return
You may have heard the term “serve and return” in the field of child development. When caregivers engage with their child in serve and return, it strengthens neural connections. So, what is it? In essence, it is a caregiver’s responsiveness to a child’s cues.
