“There’s never a dull moment in ‘Toddler Land,’” says Alysia Becker. “And every moment is totally worth it.”
As OVV’s Lead Toddler Teacher, Alysia is responsible for creating a safe and loving environment where the toddlers can build their language skills through modeling, imitation, and structured activities. Along the way, she celebrates the children’s major milestones. “I get excited when a child utters their first ‘Uh-oh!,’ takes their first step, or has success with potty training.”
Alysia’s work also allows her to build strong bonds with OVV families. “I grow really close with our families and love to be there for them as they navigate the early years of having a child with hearing loss,” she explains.
In addition to being Lead Toddler Teacher, Alysia spends her afternoons as OVV’s itinerant Outreach Intervention Specialist for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. In this role, she travels to area schools to provide one-on-one services to OVV graduates and other students with hearing loss.
Alysia grew up in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. She earned her Bachelor’s in Elementary Education K-5 and Deaf Education P-12 at Eastern Kentucky University and her Master’s in Teaching Students with Learning and Behavior Disorders P-12 from Georgetown College.
Alysia began her career teaching students with hearing loss in the Kenton County School District, but after eleven years in that position was ready for a change. She stumbled across OVV while job searching and fell in love with the program as soon as she visited the campus. “It was completely different from everything in my experience, and I was looking for something different.” Alysia joined the OVV team in August 2016.
Now in her sixth year at the organization, Alysia can’t imagine a better place for planting roots than Ohio Valley Voices. “OVV has been such a blessing in my life. I love being part of a community that is so connected and so driven to help the children succeed.”