Ventura College’s East Campus adds new speech-language pathology assistant program
SANTA PAULA, Calif. (KEYT) – Ventura College has launched the first speech-language pathology assistant program in the county at its east campus in Santa Paula.
People of all ages suffer from communication disorders which can impact articulation, language use, and voice control and can be developmental or acquired over time.
The new program will allow students to lean how to help those in the community with communication disorders under the supervision of a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist and, after completing the program, apply for state-wide licensing in the field.
Before the creation of the Santa Paula-based program, students seeking speech-language pathology training had to commute to Pasadena City College noted Ventura College.
"I am very excited to finally begin a new journey in life," shared Alyssa Lopez, one of the first Ventura College students to sign up for the new program. "This program truly feels like a godsend. I wasn’t sure how to move forward with my speech pathology degree, and now I feel blessed to have this pathway."
According to Ventura College, all first-semester courses for the associate of science program that starts this fall were completely filled within 48 hours.
'This is more than just a new academic program; it’s a direct response to the needs of our region," explained Deanna Hall, co-chair of Ventura College's Child Development and Education Department and the program's co-founder. "The excitement from our community has been overwhelming. Parents, educators and healthcare providers have told us time and again how critical it is to have local training opportunities for speech-language pathology assistant professionals."
The Speech-Language Pathology program prepares students for in-demand careers in the field through clinical hours and sets the stage for them to apply for licensure through the California Department of Consumer Affairs Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensers Board.
"Our department now has Child Development, Education and Speech-Language Pathology Assistant programs, which is an amazing intersectionality of all the best programming for working with children, families, and people in our community," added Rachel Johnson, co-chair of the Child Development and Education Department and a co-founder of the program. "The SLPA program not only creates high-demand career opportunities for our students but also strengthens essential services for children and families across Ventura County."
