Wikipedia:Etel El Leit

Etel El Leit (born November 10, 1971) is an Israeli-American linguist and educator known for specializing in Baby Sign Language and technology for children. She is the founder of SignShine, a baby sign language center located in Los Angeles County.

Early life and education
A native of Jerusalem, Israel, Leit attended Boyer High School for highly gifted students. Following this, she served in the Israeli Intelligence from 1989 to 1992 (from age 18 to 21) and was promoted to a commander rank. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Hebrew and Arabic Literature from The Hebrew University (1995) and her Master of Science in Educational Administration and Leadership from Pepperdine University (1998).

Career
Leit was a professor at the University of Judaism’s graduate school From 1998 to 2002. She developed many programs for teaching Hebrew to students in America. Her career has been devoted to integrating sign language with parenting for improved family communication and baby and toddler critical thinking skills.

Leit teaches at Hebrew Union College. She is also a national and international speaker, targeting babies and children with special needs, educators, therapists, and parents at conferences, like the National Association for the Education of Young Children. She is also a psychology and communications mentor at UCLA.

In 2005, Leit founded SignShine, a baby sign language center located in Los Angeles County. In 2009, SignShine was voted "Best of LA" by Parents Magazine.

Leit has made television appearances on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, KTLA Morning News, Fox 11 Good Day L.A., and Tia & Tamera on the Style Network.

Published works

 * You are My SignShine!: A Complete Guide to Using Sign Language to Connect and Communicate with Hearing Babies and Children.
 * UnAddicted to You - Loving Yourself Through the Darkness
 * Where is Water? Book Series (5 Books)

Albums
Leit has produced three music albums: