Happy Talkers are homeless Happy Talkers are homeless (June 25, 2004)

Speech therapy program searching for new home
by Teresa C. Brown

Happy Talkers, a successful speech therapy program for children, is homeless. "Right now, we're hoping and praying to find a place," said Charlene Sigman, program director.

What began as a program serving four children from Sigman's home four years ago has expanded, so much so that the program has outgrown her house.

Additionally, zoning and day care licensing restrictions have prohibited the program from continuing its expanded operations at its current Valley Trails Drive location, which Sigman rents.

Sigman has temporarily moved group sessions to a Dublin church; while under a temporary licensing extension, she can continue to hold one-on-one therapy sessions at her home through the summer.

However, her current rental lease is set to expire at the end of June, and because she and her family will have to move from the Valley Trails house, they do not have a permanent site for the program.

"The church use is for summer only," Sigman said. When school begins in the fall, the program must be relocated again.

"We're desperately seeking to be licensed as a large family day care," Sigman said, explaining that would enable her to treat more children in a residential setting.

However, that license must have the approval of the landlord or homeowner, and Sigman is hoping to find a cooperative landlord or to buy a home, from which the program can be operated.

"Ideally the new place is someplace we can buy or rent to own," she said, adding that they have some money saved for a small down payment. They hope to find a four- or five-bedroom home, which is a critical element in the program, she said.

"A home is important," she said. In a home, the children flourish because it is a warm and nurturing environment. Although the church is a good location, she said she has already noticed that the children are not doing as well in the commercial environment.

"We're looking, talking to people in Dublin," she said. "But everything is temporary." Although she would like to stay in Pleasanton, where 90 percent of the children in the program live, Dublin is a good alternative, she said.

Her family of four, which has been living in one bedroom of the four-bedroom Valley Trails house, is moving to an apartment next week and can either live in the new home or continue to live off-site, she said.

Happy Talkers specializes in working with children with speech-language disorders and offers programs specially tailored for children with auditory processing disorder, apraxia and autism spectrum disorder.

About 135 children, ages 18 months to 9 years, attend either group or one-on-one sessions at Happy Talkers, Sigman said, adding that about 65 percent of the clientele comes to them through the Regional Center of the East Bay.

The RCEB is a nonprofit organization that is under contract with the state to coordinate services and support for individuals with developmental disabilities.

"The need for the program is amazing," Sigman said. "Autism has grown by 68 percent and California is ranked No. 1."

Although she would like to see the program grow, she currently turns parents away and has a waiting list of about 20 children, she said.

With deadlines looming, Sigman is hoping someone can help. To contact Sigman, call 600-0925, or e-mail charlene@happytalkers.com.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.