Committee approves bill to prepare deaf and hard of hearing students for kindergarten

AUGUSTA— A bill sponsored by Sen. Cathy Breen, D-Falmouth, to help deaf and hard of hearing parents prepare their children for kindergarten was unanimously approved by the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee on Wednesday.

“Like all of us parents in Maine, parents of children who live with hearing loss want to do all they can to help prepare their children for success in kindergarten.  However, parents of deaf and hard of hearing children face a unique set of challenges,” said Sen. Breen. “This bill provides information and resources to parents to help prepare their kids for a great education and a bright, happy and productive future.”

The bill — LD 642, An Act Regarding Kindergarten Readiness for Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing — requires the Department of Education to issue an annual report providing data on the literacy development of deaf and hard of hearing children as it compares to children who are not. The data it captures will apply to children up to 5 years of age. Additionally, the bill creates a task force to develop a toolkit for parents seeking information on how best to prepare their children for school and recommend milestones to measure their progress.

The bill was drafted with input from The Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and members of HearMeNOW, a non-profit listening and spoken language center that specializes in supporting listening and spoken language development for children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families.

LD 642 now goes to the full Legislature for a series of votes on its passage.

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