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— Parent of Private Therapy Client

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“I am so thankful for Scottish Rite and the work that they do for children that need help with speech. Julie and Summer are both so fun, patient, kind, encouraging, and loving with the children. It is truly a blessing to have this resource available to our families here in Santa Barbara!”

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Camp Chit Chat is a fun and socially interactive camp for preschool age children with mild-moderate speech and language delays. It’s a great way for children to keep up with essential communication skills during the summer when regular therapy services are not offered. Each camp participant will be placed in a small group (2-3 children) with same-aged peers also working on similar skills such as articulation, language, fluency, and social communication. Not every child that applies for camp will have the opportunity to be enrolled. We look at each child individually to make sure he or she will benefit from our program.

Camp Chit Chat

Camp Chit Chat Schedule:

Children will attend one 60-minute session per week with one to two other children.

Camp Chit Chat Curriculum:

Our weekly themes transform our center into a wonderful setting for your child to develop his/her imagination while working on speech, language, social, cognitive, and motor skills. We also target early literacy skills and early handwriting skills during camp. Each weekly session builds upon the previous session and focuses on helping each child in acquiring a foundation of the following communication skills: improved articulation due to speech delays such as apraxia and phonological delays, social communication with peers and staff, receptive language skills (questions, vocabulary, concepts, grammar) expressive language skills (sentence length, vocabulary, categories, grammar, questions) and fluency of speaking.

Camp Chit Chat Fiesta:

Camp Chit Chat concludes with a Fiesta at a local park as a chance for the staff, children and families to celebrate all the hard work and achievements that were made over the summer. This is a great time to get to know other families attending camp and an opportunity to set up playdates!

Enrollment:

Applications for Camp Chit Chat 2023 have closed.

Once your child is placed on our screening waitlist, we will contact you within about a month’s time in order to set an appointment at the Language Center. This evaluation appointment will take place with one of our licensed Speech-Language Pathologists and determine his or her place on our waitlist based on need.

A thorough assessment of your child’s current speech and language skills will be completed in order to determine his/her current levels of communicative abilities. Background information, medical history, educational services, parent interviews, and testing will be conducted in order to identify the specific needs of your child.

This process serves a dual purpose in determining not only if your child requires treatment but more importantly, it guides the therapist in determining the specific goals and course of your child’s therapy. Our clinicians are dedicated to providing a highly individualized therapy program to each child at our center.

Screenings and Evaluations

If your child is currently receiving weekly speech and language therapy services through their school or another state agency/program, a copy of their current records, IEP and most recent evaluation will be requested by our center.
After a thorough review of the specific records by one of our staff therapists, parents will be contacted to discuss and determine the next step in the screening and evaluation process for your child. We will also work closely with your child’s school or agency therapist in order to provide a well-rounded therapy program.

IEP's & SCHOOL THERAPY SERVICES

Children must be between 2 ½ and 5 years old in order to be put onto the waitlist. Children must be fully immunized according to age and doctor. Once your child enters Kindergarten, he or she is no longer eligible to receive our private speech and language services. Children receiving speech and language therapy from more than one source (speech therapist, private therapist, special day class) will not be eligible for our program. While we do not take on clients who are receiving multiple services at the time of enrollment, we highly encourage you to seek other services for your child while he or she is on the waitlist.

If you are interested in enrolling your child for therapy at our center, please call our office and complete a brief intake interview with one of our staff members. One of our therapists will give you a call to schedule a screening within the month. This screening will determine your child’s priority level on our waiting list.

child in classroom looking at a book with an adult

INTAKE PROCEDURE

In operation since 1984, the center is a philanthropy of the Scottish Rite, a concordant body of the Freemasons. One of 170 RiteCare Centers across the U.S., our Center is located in downtown Santa Barbara on the 4th floor of the Masonic Center.

Improving your child’s speech and language communication is our ultimate goal and it all starts with providing individual therapy services each week. This type of therapy is a vital element of your child’s weekly program and allows your child maximum opportunity to work on his/her communication goals.

More importantly, it provides parents all the tools and essentials necessary for carrying out the skills learned in therapy each week. Each of our therapy sessions is also dedicated to speaking with parents and demonstrating specific strategies that are crucial to each child’s progress. Parents will be provided an opportunity to sit in on each session with their child or to observe through a two-way mirror and listen in on their child’s session through a speaker system. In either case, we encourage parent involvement in order to ensure steady progress and success.

OUR PROGRAMS

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Girl Receives Care at the RiteCare Childhood Language Center

Mission

Help Children Find Their Voice

The California Scottish Rite Foundation is dedicated to support and assist children in California by providing childhood speech-language, literacy and education programs for a lifetime of improved communication and confidence.

GIVE

THE FUTURE

A VOICE.

Help children speak and communicate clearly.

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Speech-Language Pathologist, Center Director

Julie DeAngelis

Julie has been a Speech Language Pathologist for over 20 years since graduating from Northern Arizona University and the University of Texas-Dallas. She holds both a Bachelor's and Master’s degree in Communicative Disorders and brings to the Center her expertise in pediatric speech and language therapy.

Julie has been at the Language Center since September 2007. She has worked in the public school system in the U.S. as well as abroad for a non-profit agency in Australia. Her passion for global work continues to take her around the world as she generously volunteers her professional time with Operation Smile. In her free time, Julie attends ceramics class, enjoys keeping fit, and loves to travel and explore different cultures.

Speech-Language Pathologist, Program Director

Summer Calvert

Summer has been a Speech-Language Pathologist for more than 15 years, earning both of her degrees in Speech-Language Pathology, graduating with her Bachelor's degree from the University of Utah and with her Master's degree from the University of Nevada, Reno. Summer gained her expertise in pediatric speech and language therapy through working for the SB County Education Office for 7 years and has been a clinician at our center since 2011. In her free time, she enjoys camping, hiking, cooking, rollerskating, and traveling anywhere and everywhere. Summer is currently working on obtaining her certification in dyslexia intervention.

Administrative Assistant

Jaclyn Torres Abundis

Jaclyn is an undergraduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara majoring in Linguistics with an emphasis in Speech-Language Science and Disorders and minoring in Spanish. Seeing the enthusiasm and creativity of the Speech-Pathologists at the Santa Barbara, Rite Care center drew her to the center, which led her to begin volunteering as a coach for Brain Lab. Jaclyn aspires to be a Speech-Language Pathologist to help the voices of future leaders and role models. In her free time, Jaclyn likes to watch sunsets with her friends, weightlift, and cook new recipes.

Personal Representative of the Language Center

Maurice Sourmany

Maurice has been a Mason since 1968. He previously served as our language center's Assistant Personal Representative and as Chairman of the Board for the Language Center. With various offices, Maurice was elected Master of the Magnolia Lodge #242 in 1977 and has been a member of the Scottish Rite since 1969. He received his 32° and also joined the York Rite and the Al Malaikah Shrine in 1969. Appointed as Grand Lodge Committeeman for 9 years, Maurice became affiliated with Carpinteria Lodge #444 in 1980 and was elected its Master in 1982. Working his entire life at Victor The Florist starting when he was 14, became manager at 35 and eventually became owner when his father passed away. Retiring at 64, he sold the business to his daughter in 2006 who is now a third generation florist.