Preschool update

Well, it's been a week now since our IEP and I figured it was about time to get my post types - okay, so I've been slacking! Thanks to Destini for jogging my memory that I hadn't filled everyone in yet.

So the bad news is that Caitlyn will not qualify for the Special Ed part of the preschool, which I guess isn't a huge surprise to us or any of you. The good news is that our daughter is way too smart, which isn't a huge surprise either. The standard IQ for her age group is somewhere between 90 and 110, and she scored a whopping 116 on the verbal, 102 on the performance and got a 110 on the full scale. We were not surprised. After her IEP, she and I went by the Co-op to chat with the teachers. When we originally visited, Mary (the special ed teacher) was so excited to meet Caitlyn and said she was looking forward to having her in her class. Then to have her say "I knew she wouldn't qualify" after the IEP. The children in the special ed classroom have both cognitive and physical delays, but hey it was worth a try. So I moved onto the other classroom to ask about getting her in there. The teachers name is Pat and it's funny, she and I used to work together before I had Caitlyn. We taught at the same preschool, just different classrooms. She is a wonderful teacher. She said that she had an afternoon spot available. I told her we would need to think about it, seeing as Caty does still take naps. After considering it, we've decided not to go ahead with getting her in this Co-op. For a few reasons, the nap issues, but mainly due to the amount of time that is required by the parents. As parents, you need to work 20 hours a month along with paying the monthly fee of $75. I know, it's really not that much time or money, but there is a BUT. Starting in a week and a half I am going to be watching one of Scott's co-workers daughters. The mom (hey there Brigette if you're reading this) teaches kindergarten, but not full time. She teaches Mondays, Tuesdays and every other Wednesday. Lauren is also going to be watched by her grandparents. Lauren will be with us 2 weeks out of each month, so it's not full time. On Thurdays I will be working at an in-home day care center that I have been at for a year now. It's only a 3 hour work day, but still. Between all of this, I don't know about putting in the time at the Co-op; I think I would be pushing myself to the limit. So we're back to looking at the Head Start Program. For those of you not famliar with Head Start, it is a low-income preschool, however 10% of their enrolled children have to be "disabled." I received a call this morning from a lady at their offices here in our area, asking if Caitlyn had had an IEP yet. She was glad to hear that one was already done, which would mean that we "might" be able to get on the list. I say "might" because Marie has to do some more researching to find out if Caitlyn will qualify. On there web site there is a list of the different eligibility criteria for specific disabling conditions - one of them being orthopedic impairment. Now maybe I'm wrong, but isn't this what our kids would fall under? I am hoping that we will qualify under those circumstances and that Caitlyn can get in soon, if she does indeed qualify.

It was decided at the IEP that Caitlyn would be able to qualify for help with speech, so she will be receiving those services, which is a help with possibly getting into Head Start. Marie informed me that she doesn't believe there are any openings as of right now, but kids come and go. We're not in a huge rush to get Caty in, however she is excited about going to preschool, so the sooner the better. I'll keep everyone informed. Keep your fingers crossed for us!