Beginnings SC

Beginnings SC provides expert knowledge and individualized planning strategies for parents, professionals, & communities to promote successful outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing in South Carolina. We believe every SC child who is deaf or hard of hearing will reach their fullest potential.

We believe parents are the first advocates for their child, and to advocate for their child, they need access to information and resources so they can make informed decisions for their child. A child who is deaf or hard of hearing is like a flower, and to bloom, they need a gardener who can provide water, fertilizer, and sunlight, or in this case, access, resources, and a language-rich environment. Our goal is to equip parents to be the best gardeners for their own gardens.

We work with parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing, Deaf and hard of hearing parents, and the professionals that work with these families, all across South Carolina.
These services involve 3 main types: direct to parent services, parent services in coordination with childcare centers, and direct to childcare center services supporting future parents of children with unidentified hearing loss.

Direct to Parent Services:
On-Call Coaching Hours
Parent Networking Events in Partnership with Hands and Voices
Language Building Services (0-5 focused)
Readily-Available Resource Library
Parent-Focused Workshops
Tutoring through College Partnerships (5-21)
Parent Education (0-3)
Attachment and Bio-behavioral Catch-Up (0-2)

Parent Services in coordination with childcare centers:
Loaner Library Services
Hearing Screening Follow Up/Support to diagnosis
Guidance for Navigating Childcare Centers for Deaf Parents who use ASL

Direct to Childcare Center Services Supporting Current and Future Parents:
Training and Technical Assistance for Childcare Providers
Hearing Screenings

Testimonials

"Our daughter, Collins has a bilateral hearing loss that was diagnosed when she was five. At that time, it felt as if a curveball was thrown at us and we had to relearn how to help and parent our child. It felt like we were doing our best only to find out that we were just managing and not doing everything our daughter needed.
Beginnings SC helped us realize what questions we needed to be asking. They gave us access to resources and community. Working with Beginnings SC helped us reframe our view of Collins' diagnosis as a blessing rather than a hinderance. Beginnings SC gave us confidence in our parenting of Collins and in her future. Having worked with Beginnings SC, we now feel capable of facing anything. We feel capable of advocating for Collins around her hearing diagnosis." - Julia, mother of Collins

"Learning that your child can't hear is life altering. Beginnings SC educated us on our child's hearing loss, helped us feel less alone in navigating Ava's diagnosis, gave us the tools we need to support Ava's growth and development, and connected us with others who are navigating the same with their children. Lisa with Beginnings SC equipped us with the knowledge we needed to navigate appointments, assessments, insurance, therapies, and support programs. She served as a vital sounding board in helping us advocate for Ava through the many hurdles we faced in getting her the hearing aids and services she needed. You don't know what you don't know, and it scares me to think about how we would not be stewarding Ava's language and development correctly if Beginnings had not reached out to us. We truly would not be where we are on Ava's hearing and developmental journey if it weren't for Beginnings." -- Katie Hagan, mom of Ava Hagan