About Us
For over 20 years, Baby Fingers has been offering a unique journey through language and music for babies and children, schools, parents and educators. Our programs support early language development for Deaf and hearing children, while strengthening overall communication and family bond through the use of music and sign language.
Baby Fingers programs are not just for babies, and we are not a “baby sign language” program. Our students are newborns through adults, hearing and Deaf, with and without disabilities and curriculum is rooted in real language and culture, supported by research and evidence based practice, taught by qualified professionals. We help lay the foundation for expressive and receptive language, fostering bilingualism, literacy and self-expression, supporting cultural identity. Whether we are teaching our youngest students who are only a few months old or teens and adults, all of our programs teach American Sign Language: ASL.
We offer programs that include ASL to jumpstart language acquisition, to
provide an outlet for self-expression when or if speech is not
accessible, to offer 2nd language learning at any age. Music is an
essential component in our program, providing natural repetition, ease
of focus, memory aid, rhythmic support, vocal exploration, unique family
time and overall joy.
In our programs, Deaf teachers offer a cultural perspective. Some have
Deaf parents and family members, so ASL has been their language since
birth. Others share their journey to ASL later in life. Our hearing
teachers are proficient in sign, actively involved in the Deaf
community, and specially trained to offer an introduction and valuable language and creative arts resources. We connect hearing parents of deaf
children with Deaf mentors and other families with Deaf children or parents. We also support families with hearing children and kids with
disabilities in their language journey.
We have classes that include both Deaf and hearing families or older
students, developing cross-cultural comfort and communication. In our
Adult ASL classes, Deaf teachers are working with hearing students who
want to learn a 2nd language, or who are professionals working with Deaf
kids, or parents of Deaf children, and even deaf adults beginning their
ASL education. Kids and young adults with a variety of disabilities are
also learning from our Deaf and hearing teachers, integrating sign
language into their lives for so many different reasons.
Our founding director, Lora Heller, MS, MT-BC, LCAT, is a music therapist, teacher of the Deaf, and mother of 2. She has worked with people of all ages – Deaf and hearing, disabled and neurodiverse – and has been involved in the Deaf community both in Rochester NY and NYC. Our team is comprised of music therapists, teachers of the Deaf, ASL interpreters, Deaf educators, special educators, and teaching artists who are experienced with children, proficient in sign language, trained in our curriculum and methods.
