On Wednesday, April 1st, students from the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association (NSSLHA) celebrated Easter with preschool students at the Rutledge Institute, the education center that has a site on campus.
NSSLHA is a club for those in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at PennWest California, an undergraduate program for those interested in pursuing careers in Speech Language Pathology or Audiology.
Similar to the way these professionals serve the community, the students served the preschool classrooms, spending time sharing a book, a small Easter-themed American Sign Language lesson, and a craft with the children.
NSSLHA member Gavin Barrett organized the event, noting that it was his first time planning an event for the organization.
“I enjoy making an impact not only on our club, but also on our major,” explained Gavin. “I believe the event went well and the preschool students enjoyed having us!” Gavin also serves as the American Sign Language Club president on campus, which made him a valuable asset to the event, having the knowledge to share signs such as “bunny” and “Easter” with the children.
Linette Pierce, Education Representative of NSSLHA, read the story “Pete the Cat: Big Easter Adventure.”
“For me, community is the most heartwarming experience,” shared Linette, “and this experience showed exactly why. Working with the preschoolers made me see how important connection, engagement, and a supportive environment are for communication. In our future careers, we’re helping people not just develop speech, but feel confident connecting with others.”
To wrap up the event, the preschoolers were assisted in making Easter bunnies of their own, fit with cotton ball tails and googly eyes. The excitement was tangible, and it was heartwarming to experience the energy of the little ones as they counted down til the bunny’s arrival.
Hailey Moninger, lead teacher of the preschool, shared some insight about the Rutledge Institute and its purpose, as well as some exciting changes coming in the near future.
“Right now we are actually going through an expansion,” explained Hailey. “Right now we have two classrooms, a preschool and a pre-k classroom, we’re doubling, so we’ll go from 40 kids enrollment to 80 kids. We’re moving into a state-of-the-art building, where we’ll have a STEM room, an art room, a sensory room, a kids’ kitchen. We educate children ages three to five years old and get them ready for kindergarten with a full creative curriculum. We absolutely adore kids, and we’re always hiring!”
Hailey also explained the collaboration the NSSLHA has with the Rutledge Scholars, as well as the field students from the education program at PennWest California as well. She also shared that the Institute is affiliated with The Village in California, who is also always hiring, both locations serving children and their readiness for school.
As a whole, NSSLHA’s Easter Book and Craft Event was a success, working alongside the educators at the Rutledge Institute to create a special holiday memory for the kids. With Rutledge’s expansion in progress, there is room for more events in the future, and the opportunity to serve double the kids, and make double the impact.
