"Both my daughter and I love learning sign language from Ashlea; she is fun, energetic and is passionate about teaching both the babies and parents alike. Her classes include a range of different activites, from stories to songs and games, which keep the babies (and parents) interested and entertained. The classes cover a lot of material, but you're having so much fun interacting with your child that you don't realize how much you have learned until you get home. I highly recommend SmallTalk Academy to all parents!"

Danielle, mom to Sophie

My name is Ashlea Weber and I am a certified Sign With Your Baby Presenter. I am also the very proud mom of a “SmallTalker.” My son, Skyler is 3 years old (already!) and has been communicating using sign language since he was 14 months old. At 24 months, he had a vocabulary of over 80 signs, 30 words and could string together simple sentences using both signs and words. Not bad for a little guy, eh? By using Sign Language, he was able to to ask me to “phone dad” and for “more milk please” and has even saved our family’s dog. Signing not only strengthened our bond and lessened his frustration but has also given Skyler a head start on early literacy and language skills.

I first heard of signing with babies and toddlers when I was pregnant. I was visiting friends when a young boy, no older than 15 months, began signing with his mother. Immediately I was interested and asked her what he was doing. She explained that he was able to communicate using American Sign Language (ASL). Wow! What an idea- and it made so much sense! Having been a childcare professional for over 10 years, I had often witnessed the frustration young children feel when they are unable to communicate with those around them. After much research, Skyler and I joined a baby sign language class and were instantly hooked! I began taking more ASL classes myself and fell in love with this rich and beautiful language. After having seen all the wonderful benefits of signing with my baby, I wanted to share this positive and rewarding experience with other parents. Combined with my love for children, education, dance and language (I am also bilingual in French!) it has been a wonderful fit.

I hope to have the opportunity to sign with you and your little one soon!

What our parents are saying:

"I had heard about the benefits of sign language, both for the child and for the parents when my daughter was born. So when she was 6 months I started taking her to SmallTalk Academy, first to the story time and then to the Level 1 classes. We are now almost finished the Level 2 class and are already looking forward to signing up for level 3.
My daughter is now almost a year old and has started to sign to my husband and I. It is very rewarding to see that these classes work, and comforting to know that even at such a young age she is able to communicte with us. This multi-sensory language is not only fun and entertaining for my daughter, but is also helping her to develop her communication and motor skills."

Jane, mom to Julia