Meet Rina Coury of Signing Smart / Signing Child

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rina Coury.

Rina, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Long before we had children, I knew I would sign with them as babies… and when our older daughter was born, I discovered Signing Smart. My baby and I took multiple classes with the founder of the program… when she was 2 or so, other moms started asking me about what I was doing, and I started getting requests to teach their mom groups how to sign with their babies!

I began teaching in 2004… intending to teach for a few years until my kids were no longer babies… and here I am, still teaching Signing Smart 15 years later! I continue to fill my classes (I teach 5-8 classes per week throughout the Denver metro area) and have had as many as 100 babies enrolled in one ten-week class session. As of this summer, I have had over 1850 babies go through my programs! Many of my students come from word-of-mouth referrals, and I’ve had so many cousins, and third or even fourth siblings take my classes!

What keeps me inspired and motivated are the stories from parents… the joy and amazement when they realize what complex thought their 12-month old is managing to convey, long before they have the spoken vocabulary to express it (as in when Skye signed MOUSE when he saw a chihuahua for the first time… mom assured him it was still a DOG!). Or the relief they feel when their toddler or baby can tell them why they’re fussy, enabling the parent to fix the problem before it evolves into a full-blown meltdown (such as when 16-month-old Oscar was pacing the room screaming and waving his arms about… his mom finally realized he was signing MUSIC, so she told GoogleHome to play Justin Timberlake and Oscar immediately calmed down!)

Helping parents enhance their communication with their babies has become a true passion for me. Students tell me my classes are fun and interactive, keeping both babies and caregivers engaged; we sing, learn ASL signs and play games, and discuss parenting strategies to educate and support new parents who are learning and growing along with their babies.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
For the most part, I have been very fortunate to find families who are interested in learning to communicate with their infants and toddlers, and I continue to bring back repeat students.

However, the uncertainty as the start of each session approaches can be stressful. So many people procrastinate, and sign up at the last minute… will the class fill? Should I cancel it because only four people have signed up and it starts next week? Then, when I do cancel a class, so often I get calls from people who want to enroll!

The same uncertainty applies to the different levels of class I offer. The Talking Toddlers class is for older babies who have a good number of signs and have already taken the Beginner class. One session, there were 27 toddlers enrolled in 3 different Talking Toddlers classes. The next session, there were only 7! Deciding where and when to offer a Talking Toddlers class is always challenging.

Another struggle is that I cannot teach everywhere that people ask me to! I do wish there were other Signing Smart instructors in the Denver area to whom I could refer students who live far from my class locations. Someday soon, perhaps!

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I teach the Signing Smart Sign Language programs for hearing infants and toddlers. My website is www.SigningChild.com.

Signing Smart is a child development program aimed to help new parents learn about their child’s cognitive development and language acquisition. Using the research-proven strategies and techniques developed by Signing Smart makes early communication between caregivers and babies fun, accessible, and surprisingly successful. Older toddlers who are beginning to talk still benefit hugely from long term learning strategies that facilitate speech and support concept and vocabulary development.

Sharing the incredible joy that comes from being able to communicate with the youngest babies is what keeps me motivated. Knowing what your child wants of needs is great… knowing what your child notices or wonders about is amazing! With signs, babies share things with their parents that they have no other way of communicating at such a young age.

I’m also proud to welcome back families with younger siblings… watching the children who were signing infants and toddlers a year or two ago come back to help their younger brother or sister learn to sign is priceless!

As the only currently active instructor of sign language to infants and toddlers in the Denver metro area, I feel I offer an invaluable service to parents of young children.

What were you like growing up?
We moved a lot when I was a child, including spending three years in France. We settled in Denver when I was 12, and other than spending a few years away for college and work, Colorado has mostly been home since then. My family traveled, hiked, skied and backpacked a lot. I’ve always loved the mountains and all they have to offer.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.SigningChild.com
• Phone: 303-777-7078
• Email: rina@SigningChild.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SigningSmartWithRina/

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