Building Strong Home-to-School Partnerships for Families of Children who are DHH
Join us for a special Back-to-School Parent Chat on August 20!
This interactive session provides an opportunity to connect with other families, learn about school supports, and discuss ways to ensure students have a successful school year. Parents will explore effective strategies for building positive partnerships and maintaining open communication with teachers, interpreters, and other school staff. We will share practical tips for supporting language development, self-advocacy, and learning—both at home and at school. Families will leave with new resources, greater confidence, and ideas for working collaboratively with their child’s educational team throughout the year.
Learning Outcomes:
- Parents will identify at least three effective strategies for communicating regularly and collaboratively with teachers, interpreters, and other members of their child’s educational team.
- Parents will understand the importance of sharing information about their child’s communication preferences, hearing technology, strengths, and learning needs with school staff.
- Parents will learn practical ways to support their child’s language, literacy, and self-advocacy skills at home while reinforcing school goals.
- Parents will develop an action plan for establishing positive home-school partnerships that promote student success throughout the school year.
Parent Chats are designed and intended for parents/family members; we kindly ask that only parents/family members attend.
Featured Guest Speakers
Kelly Welch, M.A. Ed., is a dedicated Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (TODHH) and Department Team Lead for Denver Public Schools, bringing three decades of passionate expertise to the field. With 30 years of experience—including 16 years on the Colorado Department of Education DHH Leadership Team—Kelly has worked across the full spectrum of educational settings, having spent her early career as a center-based teacher before pivoting to an itinerant role 18 years ago. Certified to work with youth ages 3 to 21, she supports students and families through every major milestone, from early childhood Child Find evaluations and IFSP-to-IEP transitions, to post-secondary planning and transition programming. Kelly is a fierce advocate for a child-led approach to education, firmly believing that the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) must be tailored to the unique needs of each individual student. Guided by the philosophy that “it takes a village,” she partners closely with families and multidisciplinary teams to ensure every child receives holistic, meaningful support. When she is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her family & friends, traveling and reading.
Tara Bauman, Au.D., has over a decade of expertise in pediatric and educational audiology. She currently serves as an educational audiologist and senior lead for Denver Public Schools, where she is entering her 10th year as a provider. Prior to her work in public education, Dr. Bauman was a pediatric cochlear implant audiologist and served a diverse patient population at a Denver-area hospital providing comprehensive diagnostic services for all ages.
A recognized leader and advocate within the audiology community, Dr. Bauman is a past president of the Colorado Chapter of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell). Her expertise has been sought after by local, state, and national organizations, where she collaborates on pediatric audiological initiatives and presents on topics in the field.
