Who Are We?
Our mission: We empower children with hearing loss to listen, speak, and thrive. Through family-centered support, professional training, and access to life-changing technology, we help children build a future filled with sound, language, and connection.
We envision a world where every child with hearing loss — regardless of financial circumstance — has the opportunity to learn to listen and speak, and to access the same opportunities as their hearing peers.
Founded in 2008, the Baker Institute introduced its flagship Listen to Me!® program in 2009, emerging from work initially developed at Stanford University. Guided by the belief that every community deserves access to transformative resources, we expanded nationally in 2022 and globally in 2024.
Today, we serve communities in Hawai‘i, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia—working to empower families, train local professionals, and build sustainable systems of care. Our model is designed to be scalable, culturally responsive, and rooted in long-term impact.
Our Goals:
- Empower families with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to support their child’s listening and spoken language development
- Provide high-quality, family-centered intervention and mentorship that leads to meaningful communication outcomes
- Train and mentor hearing healthcare professionals to deliver evidence-based listening and spoken language services
- Build sustainable systems of care by partnering with local institutions to expand access to early identification, intervention, and technology
- Advance global equity in hearing healthcare by increasing access to resources, training, and infrastructure in underserved communities
The Baker Institute’s work helps children with hearing loss access the tools, support, and opportunities they need to thrive in spoken language environments. This opens doors to meaningful relationships, education, and career pathways. As children grow into confident communicators, the impact extends beyond the individual—strengthening families, communities, and society as a whole.
Our Collaborators: The Baker Institute for Children with Hearing Loss was founded through work initially developed at Stanford University and now operates as an independent nonprofit serving families and professionals worldwide.
Over time, the Institute has collaborated with a range of respected institutions and organizations in support of its mission, including University of California, San Francisco, the Hear the World Foundation, and the University of Nairobi.
Today, the Institute partners with programs, organizations, and professionals who share its commitment to improving outcomes for children with hearing loss. Through these collaborations, the Institute helps provide financial support to families, supplementing government and insurance benefits for hearing aids, cochlear implants, speech-language therapy, audiology services, and psychological support—both before and after hearing technology is introduced.
Our Programs
Listen to Me!®
Listen to Me!® is a research-based training on how to maximize listening and spoken language (LSL) outcomes for children with hearing loss.
We currently offer four training programs:
- LTM! Conference for New Families: An intensive, hands-on training program for the entire family, offered in California (hosted at Stanford University), Oahu, and Kenya. Each site serves 18 families annually. Children receive daily Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) therapy and classroom instruction, while parents engage in expert-led learning, guided observations, and skill-building. Siblings participate in a dedicated, engaging program designed just for them.
- LTM! Reunion: A weekend follow-up experience for alumni families, designed to deepen parent learning, strengthen skills, and provide ongoing connection and support.
- LTM! Professional Conference: A three-day training for speech-language pathologists, audiologists, teachers of the deaf, and related providers, focused on cochlear implant technology and evidence-based strategies to support listening and spoken language outcomes.
- LTM! International: Supported by the Hear the World Foundation, this virtual workshop series equips hearing professionals in developing countries with practical LSL intervention skills to better serve children with hearing loss.
Our curriculum was created by leaders in the field, including presentations from Stanford's surgeons, audiologists, certified LSL specialists, and deaf & hard of hearing teachers.
Baker Scholars
The Baker Scholars Program supports families who have limited access to listening and spoken language intervention services. The Baker Scholars Program delivers parent coaching and direct therapy services so that children with hearing loss can learn to listen and speak, regardless of the family's geographic proximity to appropriate services.
Baker Scholars are children who are in greatest need of therapeutic services for learning to listen and speak.
We provide Baker Scholars services for up to a three-year period, which includes the following:
- Weekly listening and spoken language therapy (through tele-intervention)
- Parent education to optimize listening and language opportunities in the child's natural environment
- Spanish-speaking therapists provided when needed
Our Team
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- Julie Cooper
- Executive Director
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- Eryn McHan
- Professional Learning & Mentorship Lead
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- Kayla Kolhede
- Parent Learning & Mentorship Lead
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- Caroline Montgomery
- Senior Development Strategist