Local award winning business owner Julie Hetherington who runs TinyTalk South West Birmingham & North Worcestershire has just turned 15!
Based in Northfield, Julie started up her TinyTalk Baby Signing Classes having attended them herself with her daughter, whilst on maternity leave. “I couldn’t believe that someone so small could communicate with me! I also found a wonderful, supportive community of new parents, knowing no one else with a baby myself. I knew that I wanted to share that with other families.”
Using BSL signs, TinyTalk baby signing classes help babies and toddlers to communicate with their families before they can talk. Rather than feeling frustrated babies and toddlers can sign what they need, want and can see as soon as their fine motor skills are established, which is much earlier than when their vocal are fully developed. Julie’s first child signed at almost 8 month for the first time which gave her the signing “bug”, but things were a little different with child number 2 – “Now as a teacher, I started signing immediately with my son, literally from the second he was passed to me! Sure enough, 9 weeks later, we had our first milk sign!”
Prior to setting up her own business, Julie was a qualified Chartered Accountant working in Birmingham. Aside from the obvious business knowledge she was able to bring with her into her new role, she acknowledges that making rounds of drinks for her department on a daily basis has honed her tea-making skills! (“Julie makes the best cup of tea I have each week!” says a current class family.)
Classes run in term time and are an hour in length, including themed BSL signs, songs and developmental sensory activities. The second half hour is the all important social time – a chance for families to chat and play, plus have a drink / biscuit provided to them. This is in every class from Newborns right up to Toddlers.
Julie highlights the importance of this: “I know this has been a lifetime to so many first time parents over the years, as it was for me as a parent attending. Gaining support and advice from each other has helped form long lasting friendships too.”
Over the years, Julie has taught hundreds if not thousands of families to sign with their little ones and many of those families return time and again. Why? “Many of them would probably say the chocolate biscuits on offer! But I know that it’s the happy mix of a sociable singing class where they get to spend quality time with their little ones, learning a skill that helps them both. I’ve had many families return with baby number 2, number 3 and even number 4 over the 15 years I’ve been running the classes. I’ve also had many families stay with me for 7, 8 and even 9 consecutive years!”
Community is very important to Julie and this is demonstrated in the longevity of her venues. “I am still teaching in one of my original venues, Northfield Baptist Church, 15 years later! I have also been running in my Monday and Friday venues for 10 years in 2025. Building up such long lasting and trusting relationships is important to long term business success.”
So why after 15 years is Julie still doing this?
“Seeing the joy on the babies’ faces when they know they’ve been understood, seeing the joy on the parents faces when they understand their little ones, is what gets me out of the door to my classes. Knowing that I’ve helped these families be less frustrated puts a smile on my face every single day. I also see how families are benefitting from the supportive community we are creating and often my classes are the reason why they leave the house when they may feel like doing anything but that. Plus, the cuddles and hugs I get from the babies and toddlers are simply the best!”
In 2024, Julie was recognised for her services to the Children’s Activity Sector, being awarded the Club Hub Lifetime Achivement Award.
Julie’s classes run in Northfield and Bournville but there are also TinyTalk classes running in Bromsgrove, Redditch, Worcester, Evesham, Pershore, Quinton, Harborne, Lichfield, Sutton Coldfield and Kenilworth. Contact your local teacher for more information.
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