Follow-up: 1st International Monsana Conference Continued

Parents Club: 

In St.-Petersburg there is a remarkable place where parents and their hearing-impaired kids can meet. This place which is interesting both to parents and children is called the “Parents Club”. Parents with kids aged from 9 months until 3,5 years of age can meet there. The Club brings together hearing and  hearing-impaired parents and their children. The Club was established in 2004 supported by funds of Sacred Grigory from Great Britain.  

The basic idea of club is to connect parents and to help them to become more confident and independent in their endeavour to bring up their hearing-impaired child. In the Club they have the possibility to ask all that they are interested in and they can be sure that people will listen to them, will understand them and will try to answer their questions.

Children’s Activities in the Club:
There is available a well equiped play area for the children, with a a lot of different toys and game materials, computer games, children’s book. Conducted musical lessons are offered as well as play sessions with children and parents, holidays are organised, birthday parties held at the Club. 

Offers for parents:
Meetings with different experts are organised (psychologists, social workers, audiologists), A small library with bookds about children’s development is available. Parents appreciate the very special  and friendly atmosphere in the Club. This atmosphere is alos supported by the experts: the music teacher, the teacher for the deaf, the audiologist and the head of the Club, the speech therapist Valentina Balobanova.

Presentation by Valentina Balobanova: