Wings On Words Day In Tucson
Barbara J. Kiernan, Ph.D., Director
Scottish Rite-University of Arizona
Child Language Center
PO Box 391
Tucson, Arizona 85702-0391

The recent ceremonies dedicating the Child Language Center’s new Wings on Words Preschool & Kindergarten in Tucson certainly made it a day to remember. More than 200 donors, supporters, staff, families, and children were welcomed to the festivities by Ill.  Robert F. Hannon, 33°, S.G.I.G. in Arizona. He accented how community partnership had made the Wings on Words Preschool & Kindergarten possible. In particular, he recognized the contributions of the Tucson City Council, Pima County Board of Supervisors, the University of Arizona’s Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, and the many civic groups and dedicated individuals who have given of their time and talent to this amazing effort.
In commemoration of the day, Fred Ronstadt, Tucson City Council Member, read a mayoral proclamation, and Kathryn Bayles, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, shared the gratitude and respect that the University of Arizona has for the efforts made by the Scottish Rite and its supporters. She stressed the importance of this new facility’s several purposes: training university students to be speech-language pathologists, investigating the nature and treatment of speech and language disorders, and providing treatment services for children in the community.
Following the ceremony, the celebration continued at the historic Manning House. As guests enjoyed a delicious luncheon, program directors had a chance to share their appreciation for everyone’s effort, a parent testimonial offered a moving example of why this effort was so necessary, and an amazing auction of the children’s artwork (ingenuously framed by parents) was held. The auction raised more than $1,000 for children’s books and playground equipment.
The Wings on Words Preschool & Kindergarten is the newest step in the Scottish Rite Child Language Center’s decade-plus commitment to children. The Child Language Center came into existence in 1989 under the guidance of the late Ill. Lyle C. Coolidge, 33°, and Dr. Linda Swisher of the University of Arizona. The first clinic was on the third floor of the Scottish Rite Center and provided individual speech and language therapy for preschoolers. The need for more intensive services was recognized, however, and in 1991, the Child Language Center opened a six-week summer camp. This program was so successful that parents asked whether a full-year program would ever be available.
This possibility became a reality in 1997 when the Wings on Words Preschool & Kindergarten opened in rented facilities in a neighborhood church. However, the number of children attending the school increased so rapidly that the program soon outgrew this space. Then an amazing opportunity came along, a one-acre lot with a 4,000-square-foot building, located on the main street of Tucson, just six blocks from the University of Arizona and 12 blocks from the Tucson Scottish Rite. Though the building needed renovation, the Tucson Scottish Rite Charitable Foundation met the financial challenge and, with the generous assistance of Ill. Rex R. Hutchens, 33°, Grand Cross, purchased the building and, with the support of the Tucson Brethren, created what is now an outstanding facility.
The school’s comprehensive preschool and kindergarten program operates five days a week, 7:30 am  to 5:30 pm. During the summer months, it also offers two day camps that keep progress going by giving an extra boost to the children’s speech and language experiences. Enrollment in summer camp is open to any children who can benefit from the program, even if they don’t attend Wings on Words during the school year. The children have made remarkable progress, they look forward to learning with their friends, parents know that the school is a knowledgeable partner helping their little ones, and teachers and speech pathologists experience daily success in facilitating each child’s developing speech and language. The Wings on Words Preschool & Kindergarten has taken what professionals and researchers have learned about developing and remediating speech and language and put these insights into practice. The results can be seen daily in each child.
The establishment of its own permanent facility has brought a unique resource to Tucson and to Arizona. The ultimate goal, however, is to turn the school into a resource for all professionals in the United States. Then this program can serve as a national resource for teachers, administrators, and speech-language pathologists who wish to learn from and study the impact of the Tucson program on preparing children for entering elementary school, making friends, and learning to communicate in a very complicated world. The mission of the Child Language Center and Wings on Words Preschool & Kindergarten is to ensure that early difficulties with speech and language do not present roadblocks that cannot be overcome. Every day in every way, that goal is being reached, and the Scottish Rite is proud to be so integral a part of each child’s success!