Helping deaf children learn to listen and talk

Welcome to The Elizabeth Foundation's website

We help young deaf children learn to listen and talk!

We are the UK's largest single provider of education services for babies and preschool children with hearing loss.

We provide Ofsted 'Outstanding' nursery services at our Family Centre in Hampshire and online support through our innovative Let's Listen and Talk programme.

Our services

We provide a wide range of services to offer deaf children the best possible start in life from birth to five years.

Through all of our services we aim to help young children with hearing loss learn to listen and talk.

Please read our COVID-19 update for the current status of our services.

Our news

Read the latest updates about our activities

Celebrating 40 years of helping deaf children learn to listen and talk

Celebrating 40 years of helping deaf children learn to listen and talk

Shirley and David Metherell set up The Elizabeth Foundation in 1981 to help preschool deaf children learn to listen and talk. During 2021, we will be marking the first 40 years of the charity’s work in a variety of ways.

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Tom Holloway steps up to new role as Chair of Trustees

Tom Holloway steps up to new role as Chair of Trustees

Portsmouth business leader Tom Holloway was recently confirmed as the new Chair of The Elizabeth Foundation’s Board of Trustees. He takes over the role from the previous Chair, Dr Peter Ardern, who remains on the Board as our longest-serving Trustee.

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New baby music resources available at Let’s Listen and Talk

New baby music resources available at Let’s Listen and Talk

We are delighted to announce that the first section of our Learning through music resource is now available free-of-charge on the Let’s Listen and Talk website. This section provides 10 activity-based songs to use with babies with hearing loss.

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Twitter

The Elizabeth FoundationFollow

Elizabeth Foundation
Elizabeth_foundElizabeth Foundation@Elizabeth_found·
54m

We've just finished the last of our daily Leavers’ week celebrations for our preschoolers who are leaving to start ‘big school’ in September.

We're so proud of what every single one of you has achieved during your time here.

Good luck and please keep in touch!

Elizabeth_foundElizabeth Foundation@Elizabeth_found·
22 Jul

Join us this August in our #40for40 campaign taking on a challenge around the numbers 40 and 4. You could bake 40 cakes, cycle 40 laps around your park, or build 40 sandcastles. Whatever your motivation, to get started on your fundraising journey visit: https://bit.ly/TEF40for40

Retweet on TwitterElizabeth Foundation Retweeted
iclivingIsland City Living@icliving·
20 Jul

Local charity with a national reputation for its 'outstanding' work thanks its fundraisers and supporters for helping it grow
@Elizabeth_found
https://www.aboutmyarea.co.uk/Hampshire/Portsmouth/PO6/Charity-News/News/332607-From-small-acorns-grow-great-oaks-But-only-thanks-to-the-incredible-support-of-a-huge-network-of-supporters

Elizabeth_foundElizabeth Foundation@Elizabeth_found·
21 Jul

Well done to our CEO, Julie, and her partner Pete who took on a tough 35km trek scaling Edinburgh's 7 summits with @charitychall in support of our work. Thank you to all who supported them helping us to give young children with hearing loss the best possible start in life.

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Help us give deaf children the best possible start in life

Support our work

Our activities

We provide education services for preschool deaf children and support and advice for their families. Having a hearing loss can significantly affect a child’s ability to communicate. However, with modern technology and appropriate intervention during their early years, most deaf children can – and do – learn to communicate clearly and effectively using spoken language.
We provide our services to offer young children with hearing loss the best possible start in life. Many of the deaf children benefiting from our ducation programmes significantly narrow the gap with their hearing peers – and, just as importantly, they have fun! Our team of Teachers of the Deaf, teaching assistants and specialist Speech and Language Therapists provides expert support tailored to the needs of each individual child.
We provide Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ educational services for babies, toddlers and preschoolers with hearing loss at our purpose-built Family Centre in Portsmouth, Hampshire. We also offer regular "Listen! Group" sessions for children with unaided hearing loss, and for children with additional and more complex needs. For families all over the UK and Ireland who are unable to travel to our Family Centre on a regular basis, we provide support through our innovative Let’s Listen and Talk online educational programme and our popular Summer Residential Programme.
“At the point I was told my tiny baby was deaf, I experienced huge uncertainty and fear for the future which I shall never forget. My son couldn’t hear me and I didn’t know how to help him. “It was at that point that Zach and I were introduced to The Elizabeth Foundation. We were welcomed with open arms into a centre which was to take my fear away, and achieve with Zach what I had feared for him was unachievable." Read more in the 'Our Stories' section of our website.
With over three decades of experience providing hands-on education services, we are one of the leading charities supporting babies and young children with hearing loss in the UK.

What people say

Ryan’s story
The Elizabeth Foundation was an amazing place for me and my family, and they have helped us all through a hard time in our lives. It will always be a special place... (more…)
Rachel Elgie and David Hobbs
We were bowled over by the passion and enthusiasm of everybody in the team and made an instant decision to concentrate all our future efforts towards the charity... (more…)
Imogen’s story
The Elizabeth Foundation is not just a charity or a building, it is a stepping stone to lifelong friendships, a place of happy memories and consistent support for families with deaf children. We will forever be grateful for their support!!... (more…)
Glanvilles
After seeing first-hand the amazing work that The Elizabeth Foundation does for deaf children it was no contest when our firm chose our new local charity.... (more…)
Toby’s story
My hope is that Toby grows up a deaf child, proud of who he is and with every opportunity available to him. Thanks to the wonderful support we’ve had as a family from The Elizabeth Foundation, that certainly seems possible... (more…)
Ofsted
This provision is outstanding. Staff promote children's communication and language skills exceptionally well using highly effective strategies, giving children the confidence to join in... (more…)
Mia’s story
Without the excellent and continued support of The Elizabeth Foundation, Mia would not be making the fantastic progress she is... (more…)
BBC Children in Need
The Elizabeth Foundation provides a warm, welcoming and supportive environment that is critical to assisting with the progress of each child... (more…)
Kyle’s story
We will be forever thankful to all at The Elizabeth Foundation – you have most certainly made a huge impact on Kyle’s development... (more…)
Dame Evelyn Glennie, CH, DBE
The Elizabeth Foundation ... an organisation changing the lives of deaf children every day, in the most considered, imaginative and practical ways! (more…)
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