Thirty Years of Listening, Learning, and Changing Lives

Celebrating 30 Years of CCHAT Center Since 1996

This year, CCHAT Center reaches a milestone that reflects thirty years of meaningful, dedicated work on behalf of children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) and the families who love them. Since opening its doors in 1996, CCHAT has grown from a small program serving just a handful of students into a nationally recognized organization providing educational, audiological, diagnostic, and family support services throughout Northern California.

That growth did not happen by chance. It happened because of an enduring commitment to the belief that every child who is deaf or hard of hearing deserves access to the tools, expertise, and support they need to listen, speak, learn, and thrive.

What Thirty Years of Commitment Looks Like

Today, CCHAT partners with more than 25 school districts throughout Northern California, providing specialized support services to children who are deaf and hard of hearing in both center-based and mainstream educational settings. As a certified Medi-Cal and California Children’s Services (CCS) provider, CCHAT has become a trusted diagnostic center for infants and young children, supporting California’s Early Hearing Detection and Intervention system and helping families access newborn hearing screenings, hearing technology support, and early intervention services during the most critical window for spoken language development.

The reach of that work is felt far beyond any single classroom or clinic. Families who connect with CCHAT early gain access to a team of specialists, a community of other families on the same journey, and an educational foundation that shapes their child’s future. The investment made in those earliest years pays forward in ways that are still unfolding decades later.

A Milestone Worth Celebrating

Thirty years is not just a number. It is a reflection of what sustained commitment, specialized expertise, and genuine belief in children can build over time.

Since 1996, CCHAT has become a nationally recognized leader in listening and spoken language education for children who are deaf and hard of hearing. That growth is visible in the children who have passed through CCHAT's classrooms and gone on to mainstream schools, colleges, careers, and communities. It is visible in the families who arrived uncertain and left with confidence, tools, and a network of support. And it is visible in the staff who have dedicated years and in many cases, decades, to this mission.

Over three decades, CCHAT has built a continuum of care that few organizations in Northern California can match: newborn hearing screenings, early intervention through Baby and Me, toddler and preschool programs, kindergarten and primary education, mainstream support, audiology services, adult aural rehabilitation, and family partnership woven through every level. Each piece of that continuum exists because someone believed it was possible and worked to make it real.

This anniversary belongs to all of them.

"Anyone reading this blog has probably experienced or witnessed some kind of miracle in life. Profoundly deaf children learning to listen and talk is a miracle. I began teaching deaf children almost fifty years ago when technology was limited and methods of teaching were, by today's standards, archaic. But over the course of my teaching experience I have witnessed the intersection of amazing technology, phenomenal teaching and outstanding leadership which has continued and expanded over the past 30 years at CCHAT. The miracles that you can see at CCHAT occur because of hard work, passionate commitment on the part of staff, students, and families, and a belief in what is possible in the face of what seems impossible. Thirty years ago parents who first came to the school came with a faith and a commitment. Thirty years later parents visiting can witness the incredible successes of the students who have preceded them. If you want to witness a miracle come and see for yourself."
— Diane Durston, DHH Teacher, CCHAT Sacramento

Technology, Connection, and the Children Who Carry It Forward

For a child who is deaf or hard of hearing, hearing technology is a gateway to spoken language, communication, and connection. Cochlear implants (CI), hearing aids, and hearing assistive technology devices open the world of sound during the years when language is developing most rapidly. At CCHAT, children are supported not only in accessing that technology but in understanding and embracing it as part of their daily lives.

That relationship, built in a child’s earliest years, carries far beyond CCHAT. Alumni who learned to listen, speak, and self-advocate at CCHAT go on to demonstrate what early intervention makes possible, in their schools, their communities, and their careers. They become part of a living legacy that continues to grow.

Looking ahead, CCHAT sees an opportunity to bolster its current hearing health services even further, including expanded support for adult CI recipients through aural rehabilitation programming, and working toward becoming a comprehensive hearing health resource for the broader Northern California region.

The Journey Ahead: A Vision For Our Next Chapter

Thirty years of impact create a strong foundation, and CCHAT is actively building on it. As we continue to expand and enrich our current transformational listening and spoken language programs, the organization is developing and exploring ways to extend its reach and deepen its services in the years ahead, including:

Early Access Navigator: Accelerating DHH Diagnosis-to-Intervention

A comprehensive initiative providing immediate hearing aid access and ongoing family support across the Sacramento region. Dedicated to eliminating financial hurdles, this program fast-tracks the critical window between diagnosis and intervention, so children who are deaf and hard of hearing can build language and succeed. Launching in Fall 2026.

A Mobile Hearing and Speech Clinic

A traveling audiology unit that would bring hearing screenings, diagnostic services, and early support directly to families in underserved communities across Northern California. This dream project will fill a critical need in our community to remove barriers that hinder access to audiological services

The next chapter will be shaped by the same principles that have guided CCHAT since 1996: early identification, expert support, family partnership, and an unwavering belief in the potential of every child who is deaf or hard of hearing.

Grateful for Thirty Years

This anniversary is a reflection of everyone who has been part of CCHAT’s story. The educators and clinicians who have dedicated their careers to this mission. The families who trusted CCHAT with their children. The donors, supporters, and community partners whose generosity has made the work possible. And the students themselves, who have grown and thrived and carried the mission forward in everything they have become.

CCHAT is grateful for thirty years of this community, and deeply committed to the work that lies ahead.

If you have questions about your child’s hearing, or if your child did not pass a newborn hearing screening, CCHAT is here to help. Contact us to learn more about hearing screenings, early intervention services, and how we can support your child and family on this journey.

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