Sign4Baby

I am so happy I took this course with my daughter. She is now 3.5 years and keeps signing. Before she talked much, it was truly amazing how much she could communicate with her hands.
Joann is so knowledgeable, of course about signing, but also about everything else baby related. Much appreciated, we learned so much more than signing, and are forever thankful.

My 2 yr 8 month old still hasn’t had EVEN ONE tantrum (knocking on wood of course), but I’m pretty sure it is because he knows how to communicate and did so via signing before he spoke, and he was a little bit of a late speaker, however he caught up and is now surpassing his peers in his language skills and sentence structure. Thanks Joann Woolley, you made a believer out of me!

After doing a LOT of research on Baby Signing and its benefits, we decided to go with Joann at Sign 4 Baby. She is great, and I think doing signing with our daughter (which we started at 6 months and continue to do now at 2 years old) was one of the best parenting decisions we’ve made thus far.
The first class was a bit overwhelming, as the songs aren’t reviewed first before they begin playing but what better way to learn than to jump right in? It didn’t take long before I was signing the starting song as well as many others. I really loved the classes because they offered not just signing but parenting tips and advice to make life easier. There is also a certain comraderie among parents wanting to offer this awesome way of communicating to their children, so I made friends along the way.
I love the way the classes are set up, easy to understand and «themed» so each week is a new set of words; however, we were still reviewing words from previous weeks so as not to lose all that valuable information in the wake of the new.
Joann herself is warm and welcoming and has a smile for everyone. She is patient with the children, sometimes deviating a little from class discussion to address a particularly curious child who has made their way up to her to tug on her jewelry (which is almost always chunky and very cute). The kids are drawn to her and she has a natural ability to make people feel comfortable.
I’d have continued indefinitely with my daughter, except once she reached walking age it became a little harder to pay attention to teacher while I was herding her around and making sure she wasn’t indulging in her inevitable toddler klepto tendencies.
If you’re considering signing with your baby, Joann is the best! To get a small taste of what’s in store, visit one of her signing story times at your local library where she will sometimes offer specials for signing up!

My SIL (who lives in Florida) took her 2 little ones baby sign language classes and I was able to see first-​hand the benefit of teaching little ones to communicate and express themselves. My niece and nephew were the least fussy toddlers I had ever seen! So, when I found out I was pregnant with my own little one, I started looking for baby sign language classes in my area. It was not an easy search and I was close to giving up. Fortunately, when I took my 2-​week-​old daughter on a walk to the weekly farmers market, I came across Buggies and Babies, where I picked up a Sign4Baby flyer. I was so excited!!!
We started Joann’s classes when my daughter was 8 months old and she graduated just before her first birthday. She is 18 months now, and the confidence, connection, and fun we have experienced as a result is just priceless! I made friends with other moms and we have stayed connected by continuing to attend Joann’s meet up events like signing story time. I can’t say enough good things about Sign4Baby!

My daughter and I took Joann class at the santee library. It was fun to meet new moms and watch the babies play with one an other. Joann is truly amazing, she has taught my daughter and I so much. I love knowing what my baby is thinking. My daughter has become more verbal, can sign 10 words and has grown so much after taking sign 4 baby. The other day my daughter signed I love you, I cried it was an amazing experience, I have Joann to thank you for that.

I am so grateful for the channels of communication that baby sign language opened up for my daughter. I highly recommend baby sign language in general and more specifically, the SIgn4Baby class format.
JoAnn is a fun and enthusiastic teacher who brings her warm personality and helpful parenting advice to what otherwise might be kind of a dull subject (speaking from experience as someone who took two years of ASL in college :).
My daughter loves the singing and interactive nature of class and we still go back from time to time as «graduates» even though she is now a year and a half. She still signs a lot and has a pretty large vocabulary. I definitely think that sign language helped her build her early communication skills and it helped us to avoid many tantrums as she could communicate her wants starting as early as 8 months old after only a few classes.

Sign4Baby is an amazing way to connect with your baby at an early age. Joann is incredible at what she does! She teaches basic signs and provides parents with some great tips along the way in a sensitive, nurturing way. She is obviously committed to what she is doing — and best of all signing with your baby ‘works’! I recommend her classes to anyone with a new baby. Check her out at one of the various libraries in our community for a free taste.

It was the Natural Baby Fair demonstration that first put Joann in our path. My baby, at four months old, started the Sign4baby classes. It was a life saver! With a high needs baby and the lack of communication this was what we needed to bridge the gap. The first sign Sophia did was «milk» around 5 months; only a month after attending classes.
After signing up for two consecutive six week sessions, we also signed up for a graduate pass. Now, at 15 months, Sophia has over 50 signs she uses and this makes life with a toddler super fun.
Joann’s classes are small. She welcomes everyone with open arms and is a great role model for all parents. Her experience with her own children and as an educator make her a terrific resource for any parent; new or experienced.
We highly recommend taking Sign4baby classes!

EVERY NEW PARENT SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE!
I have taken both of my sons to Joann’s courses. My 1^st son was not a big signer but I firmly believe it helped to develop the mazing vocabulary he has now as a 3 year old. My 2^nd son (19 months old now) began the course at around 1o months old. His communication blossomed when we started. He is a great signer and it is so helpful that he can sign words when we can’t make out what he is saying. I can’t wait to see the effect it has on his vocabulary as he grows.
We love the course and are so lucky to have met Joann. In fact, we have the graduate pass which lets us drop-​in on classes when we want to brush up or just see Ms Joann.

My daughter & I signed up for 6 weeks with Joann when my daughter was 7 mos old — she had so much fun. She loved playing & signing with music :) Joann is amazing — she’s so animated & makes learning lots of fun for momma & baby. My daughter learned a few signs and still uses them everyday! I definitely recommend taking your little one — Joann is the best baby sign teacher I’ve met in San Diego!

I had the opportunity to bring my youngest daughter to Joann’s first Sign, Play and Learn class in January. My goal was to start bringing her around 6 months but busyness got the best of our family so I didn’t have a chance to take her until now. By this time she had already turned 1 but I knew we would still benefit greatly from the classes. The first session was great, we were introduced to some basic signs like Milk, Rattle, Music and Dance. One of the songs played was Please, May I Have More Milk and became one of my daughter’s favorite songs to sing and dance to. It also became a fun game for her to learn the signs Please, More and Milk. Best part of the Sign, Play and Learn classes is that moms and babies can make new friends in this playgroup style class.
I remember the day my daughter first signed Milk, and the look on her face was priceless when she realized I understood exactly what she needed when she signed it. I had tried practicing it since she was first born but unfortunately wasn’t that consistent. It wasn’t until I focused on repetition on a daily basis that she finally caught on. As weeks went by and we learned more signs, my daughter became more and more excited when she would tell us things she wanted and needed through sign language.
Joann offers a variety of different ways for parents and babies to learn Baby Sign Language. You can schedule a Private Lesson, 90-​Minute Workshop, or attend a Sign, Play and Learn Class that is broken up into 6 sessions. She also leads Signing and Story Times at libraries all over San Diego. I encourage you to head on over to Joann’s website at to learn more about this invaluable tool for you and your baby! Let her know Raquel at StrongholdMom sent you!
PS — to add to Kelly’s comment about the complaint about the Free Classes — I also agree that the paid classes gives you more opportunity to pick Joann’s brain more, get more personal attention with you and your baby, etc. I have been to a couple Library Signing Times (different teachers) around San Diego and while I did learn a few signs, it’s usually a lot louder and crazier (think 20+ moms plus ALL their kids). The SIgn, Play and Learn Classes have a small group setting and also give you a chance to get to know your playgroup more.

My son and I took a class at the Baby Garten Studio when my son was 6 months old. I liked the class, as did my son, but at the end of the 6 weeks, he had no interest in signing. I decided to try again when he was 9 months and tried Sign 4 Baby since she had a class going at a more convenient location for me. While I liked the Baby Garten teacher and class, I have to say Sign 4 Baby is better. Joanne’s (the teacher) mom is deaf, as are several other of her extended family members, so her first language is ASL. Based on her personal experience, she has a different philosophy on teaching signing than Baby Garten and the rest of the ASL schools do. While neither philosophy is right or wrong, Joanne’s philosophy resonated with me more than the other one did. I wish I had started with Joanne from the beginning. She is animated and great with kids and her classes are fun for parent and baby.
I took 2 rounds of classes (each session is 6 weeks) with Joanne, but sadly, my son still refused to sign. On my son’s one year birthday, a child development expert did an eval on my son and he came up at 18 months for language. She told me that some kids just never take to signing — my son clearly wanted to talk, not sign. She advised me to give up on signing and put the effort into verbal language. I still sign with him at home, but have stopped going to classes. Even though signing didn’t work out for us (many people have told me it still could in the future, which is why I still work with him at home), I am still glad I took Joanne’s classes. She has great advice for interacting with your child that I have found to be both helpful and useful for life in general, not just for signing.
Update 10−13−13: at 18 months old, my son finally started to sign. He had a vocabulary of over 50 verbal words, and was adding a new verbal word almost daily, but apparently that wasn’t enough communication. He signs a lot of words now (at least 20). He signs words he cannot say verbally, but interestingly enough, he also signs words he can say verbally for emphasis.

I refer families to Sign 4 Baby all the time because I love and respect Joann’s passion and competence. Now I can say first hand that we enjoy and learn from her class! I love the way she combines signing and play with relevant child development and parenting info and her personal parenting experience. Any family would be lucky to enjoy her class.

My daughter loves signing and Joann is great with the kids. My daughter has learned a lot and is excited to teach her little brother some signs. The music and stories in class are great! Highly recommend.

We’ve been taking Sign4Baby classes for 8 months now and my 18 month old daughter now has 50+ signs. Joann is wonderful with kids, a patient instructor, and one of my daughter’s favorite people. We’ve also been attending signing story times through the library system that Joann leads. Here are the differences: story time alternates songs and books that follow a theme (same thing at all the story times across all the libraries for a few months at a time — so it is entirely possible to visit a story time every other week and see the same program several times — repetition is a good thing for kids and Joann’s story times aren’t cloying or irritating like some other things that kids like to do over and over and over and over…) and then there are bubbles at the end. While Joann is very willing to answer questions and help with other signs after story time is over, the free story times are about, well, stories and songs for the kids that incorporate sign language, not instruction for grown ups who attend. Story times have a structure and don’t deviate from it.
Classes, which will cover some of the same signs and themes as the story times (there are only so many things that are important to babies and young toddlers, you know) are much more about instructing parents and caregivers on not only the signs themselves, but on how to best incorporate signing into your child’s life and daily routine and how to use signing to maximize communication with your child (while hopefully minimizing communication related tantrums). Classes are much more hands on than story times and while Joann does have lesson plans and covers the information that she thinks is necessary to impart, there is a lot of other material covered that comes from the questions of the parents/​caregivers. It’s also not unusual for class to get a bit sidetracked by something that interests one of the kids or the behavior of the kids. This is a GOOD THING! Kids communicate/​sign about things that are important or interesting to them, not necessarily about things that we as parents/​caregivers think should be important or interesting to them. Joann will also point parents/​caregivers towards other helpful resources for signing and other parenting concerns.
Classes are once a week in a six week session and there are two different sessions (12 class meetings with different signs). So why have we been attending multiple sessions over the past eight months? Repetition, repetition, repetition for one. The more I sign in class or at story time, the more I sign at home, and the more my daughter sees those signs, the more signs my daughter picks up. And the more signs my daughter picks up, the better we can communicate and the better I can meet her needs. Also, I happen to be one of the least coordinated people on the planet, the more I go to class, the better my signing gets and the better my signing gets, the less likely I am to end up with my fingers tied in knots or accidentally smacking myself in the face. Not only is Joann great with kids, but she’s great with adults — she has never laughed at me!

Joann’s signing classes have been a wonderful experience! We’ve taken this class for the past 8 months or so and our 18 month old is able to communicate her basic desires very well and with increasing fluency every day. Joann’s energetic and outgoing personality make the classes engaging for both kids and parents.
This is not a class for people who just want to sit there and have information spooned into their brains– it’s interactive and collaborative and will require actual involvement from the parents. It’s a great learning environment for the kids — they learn from watching each other as well as from the signs that Joann is demonstrating.

I’ve taken my daughter to two sessions of Joann’s Sign4Baby classes and think she does a great job. She’s very fluent in ASL as she was raised with it. She knew all the signs I asked about — even the most random emotions. She is great with the kids. She’s animated, comfortable and patient with them. I totally recommend taking her class.
Regarding the complaint about her «free» classes being the same as those we pay for, my belief is that it’s worth the money to take her classes because you get individualized attention and have the time and freedom to ask anything. To me, the library classes are more for reinforcing what has been learned in the classes that have much smaller teacher to student ratio.

Joann’s classes are just amazing. She is very hands on (no pun intended) and really engages the children (and parents) in learning the signs. I head that sign delays baby speaking but not in my case– it helped my DD start speaking and communicating with me WHILE she signed! I highly recommend Joann’s classes to all my clients and she is lucky to have such a valuable skill in helping parents communicate with their babies!

Joann is an AMAZING teacher. Her classes are not only fun for mom and baby but they are so helpful! Joann is extremely engaging. The classes are the perfect mix of music and books. My daughter would actually pay attention to Joann’s hands watching her sign threw songs and storys. Before i knew it my 11 month old daughter knew more signs then i did! It was amazing to watch my daughter learn signs and use them at home. Joann always says what she is signing, and my daughter learned to do the same. I feel like signing helped my daughter communicate with everyone she came in contact with. She loved to sign thank you to checkout clerks and she still does it now as she says it.
I ran into baby sign language just looking for a mommy and me class and i ended up getting a baby who could communicate her needs long before she could talk. I highly recommend these classes. Its so much fun!!!
I also find Joann to be a great resource of parenting advice! She has given me wonderful tips and tricks of parenting!!!

I took Sign 4 Baby classes with my son when he was about a year old. We loved the classes so much that we signed up for a second session!
Joann has a way with children (not surprising since she has 3 of her own!). Although I already knew some ASL and had been practicing with my son before the classes, he didn’t really get it until we started signing with Joann.
She uses music, stories, books, and play to incorporate sign into a fun «playgroup» type feeling. The babies learn whether they show it in class or surprise their parents at home.
Sign language is a lifesaver for pre-​verbal and even new talking children. My son still uses the sign he learned at age 2.5. I plan on taking more classes with Joann when we have #2. I highly recommend it.