Language Acquistion 

The Gorilla Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, protection and well-being of gorillas and other great apes through interspecies communication research and education. Established in 1976 as a 501(c)(3) corporation, it is best known for "Project Koko,"  the longest interspecies communication study in history, and the only one involving gorillas.  It  has evolved into an institution that provides a unique resource for great ape conservation, care and understanding.

Today, Sign2Me Early Learning is well recognized around the World as the first company in history to develop and offer a true-to-ASL (American Sign Language), Baby Sign Language Program!

The Company is well established and was founded over 27 years ago by Seattle native, Bob Tarcea. Bob actively continues to serve as the Company's passionate, dedicated, President and CEO. Over the past 27 years, his

Company-guiding philosophy and his insistence upon leaving the world better than we find it, has never wavered even for a moment and continues to positively shape the impact that we, as the Sign2Me team, impart upon the World!

Based in beautiful Mukilteo, Washington, just 20 minutes North of Seattle, our Sign2Me offices and warehouse are located just a short, stone's-throw from the sparkling waters of Puget Sound. Our dedicated staff is fully committed to the development and distribution of high quality ASL resources to help establish and support two-way communication between hearing parents and hearing children.

Each of our early learning resources have been carefully developed to make it fun and easy for parents and caregivers to engage children in effective communication and early learning! We hope you have fun exploring the many facets of our Web site. We encourage you to consider the significant advantages of choosing true ASL signs to communicate with the babies and children you love. Our promise to you is that you will be totally amazed when your baby signs!

Note: Although we refer to ASL here, it's important to note that we also support the use of other, standardized sign languages in the countries in which they are primarily used. We are currently in the process of developing regional editions of the SIGN with your BABY Complete Learning Kit that incorporate the use of native signed languages such as: British Sign Language, Australian Sign Language, and New Zealand Sign Language, amongst others.

This movie was created from the vision of the California Department of Education and California State University, Northridge. Funding provided by the Annenberg Foundation.

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Research tells us:

• All babies benefit from sign language. Thousands of hearing babies learn to sign before they talk. ASL is a language for the whole family and community.

• Vision is the natural pathway for brain cognition, connections and language acquisition for deaf and hard of hearing children. It taps into the child’s strengths.

• ASL supports the development of written and spoken English and other languages.

• Children can easily acquire and use more than one language at the same time.

• ASL is one of the most widely used languages in the United States.

• Time is of the essence. Infancy is a critical period for language access and language acquisition. But it’s never too late – hearing people of all ages can learn ASL.