300 East Swissvale Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15218
(800) 624-3323 V/TTY (866) 775-5261 (VP)
Tara Nikou
Choices for Children Program
300 East Swissvale Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15218
(412) 244-4261 tnikou@wpsd.org
Choices for Children
In 1979, the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf began the Parent Infant Program (PIP). This innovative program was the first of its kind with teachers of the deaf going into the homes of families who had a child with a hearing loss. Most often the children were diagnosed with a hearing lost around two years of age.
Thirty years later,our teachers have worked with over 400 families, but now the children are diagnosed with hearing loss around two months old. The program is called Choices for Children (CFC) and the workforce has expanded to 7 teachers and 1 audiologist serving 20 counties in Western Pennsylvania.
Our experienced, certified teachers have been the cornerstone of this primarily home-based program, still conducting visits to the home or daycare on a regular basis. The Choices for Children staff provides comprehensive and objective information, advocacy, and training in language, audition and speech for deaf infants, toddlers and their families.
More information on parent infant programs: