A collaborative team of faculty from The University of Akron (UA) in Akron, Ohio, and Kent State University (KSU) in Kent, Ohio, were awarded a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education to develop a specialty area in the graduate speech-language pathology (SLP) programs of UA and KSU that would train a total of 32 SLP students (trainees) over a period of 4 years (eight per year) to work with children who have hearing loss and are acquiring listening and spoken language. The Grant Program is conducted by a faculty of eight professors, four from each university, with a co-director for the Grant Program assigned to each university. The Grant Program has an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary framework that includes specialists in early intervention, special education, psychology, social work, and preschool education as well as SLPs, audiologists, and auditory-verbal therapists certified as listening and spoken language specialists (LSLS). In addition, university and community-based professionals highly experienced in providing services to infants, toddlers, and children with hearing loss and their families mentor and supervise practicum experiences while providing classroom instruction. Personnel who are involved in supervision and instruction have an extensive background working with students with hearing loss and have established consistent records of positive course ratings from past students. The Grant Program's primary goal is to improve the quality of SLP pre-professional training to ensure that trainees are capable, upon graduation, of accurate assessment and management of the listening and spoken language needs of infants, toddlers, and children with hearing loss.