Pages

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Preschool Days


Well, it's been a few weeks now since Cora has officially been a preschool student at a local cooperative preschool.

The anxiety and concerns I had leading up to that were pretty big.  It was important to us to look for a community preschool with a typical population of kids, rather than send her to our local school district special ed program. Her Early Intervention teacher felt that Cora wouldn't benefit much from her local program, and encouraged us to find something that would suit our family and that would give Cora lots of room to grow.

Well, it looks like we've found it.  Since it's a cooperative preschool, we're expected to be parent teach a couple times a month.  Each day Cora's teacher is at school, along with three other Parent Teachers for 13 children, age 3 to 4.  It's a pretty great ratio.

One of the biggest concerns for me was safety, both on the playground structures, and in containing her within the classrooms.  There are marginally child-proofed measures in place to keep kids where they should be, but relying on the teachers to keep track of her is a part of it too.

And of course I worried about how Cora would do, and whether she was developmentally ready.  She will be 4 in January, but compared to the rest of her typically-developing peers, she is definitely behind in most areas.  Would she be able to keep up and participate?

But perhaps most of all I worried about what the other parents would think.  Would they feel burdened by the additional demands that Cora would bring?  Would they be worried about how to interact with her?  Would we face discrimination from any parents who don't believe people with disabilities should be included in community participation?  I just didn't know what to expect, and all of those worries had been keeping me up at night for months.

I was encouraged by the preschool's policy of encouraging parents to stay in the classroom until their children were ready for them to leave.  I expected that there would be a couple weeks when all the parents were peering in from doorways.  But on the very first day I was the only parent who stayed.  And Cora couldn't have cared less.  She was ready to play.  Since the first week, I actually have left her there and enjoyed a couple of hours of uninterrupted time with baby Ruby.  And I've had the opportunity to parent teach, as well.  That has been so encouraging to me, because although I can see where Cora does need a little extra help and support (following through with instructions during transition times and during snack time, which requires quite a bit of independence), it was great to see that the other kids needs extra help too.  It may be with different things at times, but it made me realize that she really is just one of the other children in the class.

And it's also helped to affirm that we are already achieving some of our goals for including Cora in community schools and groups:  the other people in our community are getting to know her, getting to work with her and are building a relationship with her.  And as great as that is for Cora, I am excited about how cool that kind of experience can be to people who are open to it. They are getting the chance to break down potential barriers in attitudes and expectations of people with disabilities.  I know that Cora is certainly not representative of everyone with Down syndrome, but I am happy that the people who are getting to know her just may be learning something new and discovering that a disability is not so scary.  And it seems to me that the other kids don't recognize Cora as different so far.

I'm really excited to see her grow and develop in this school, and I'm really excited as we start to build new friendships in the community.  It's not always easy to form friendships, and sometimes I worry that being the "special needs family" makes it even harder.  So developing a network in this setting is an exciting prospect for me.

And Cora loves it, which is really the best part.

28 comments:

  1. Sounds like a winner! I am glad she and you are having a great experience with preschool. I probably would have tried something like that if we had one around where we live. The nearest one was 25 minutes away and it just didn't work for us. Cora, you are so grown up! What a fantastic smile!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I need to to thank you for this good read!! I absolutely enjoyed every bit of it. I have you saved as a favorite to check out new things you post…
    Calgary daycare

    ReplyDelete
  3. Vape catridges(dank vapes) are a substitution for buds or flowers and constitute an easy means for transporting cannabis products. best vape flavors for dank vapes are usually sold at legal marijuana dispensaries (DANK VAPE STORE) https://vapehighlife.com . However illegitimate sales of these dank vapes and other vape carts have crowded the black market and made it difficult for the identification of real vape carts as their differences are not quite known to consumers.

    Authentic vape cartridges usually do not come in shouty packs as compared to the the fake dank vapes. However this isnt a significant method of identifying real dank vapes from the fake ones, as only laboratory test can prove dank vape carts have pesticides or not.
    Some of the most pronounced names of vapes in the legal marijuana dispensaries and also sold in the dark markets include:
    dank vapes
    brass knuckles
    mario carts vape
    exotic carts vape
    cereal vape carts
    heavy hitters
    supreme vape
    dank woods blunt
    710 king pen
    moonrock carts.

    ReplyDelete
  4. One of the more relaxing pastimes in Budapest is going bathing as this is an old spa city with baths left over from an era of Turkish occupation. People from all over Europe come to enjoy these hot springs and pampering services such as massages Apartments for sale in Budapest

    ReplyDelete
  5. Do you also want a catchy and attractive website that can grab more customers towards your website? If yes then connect with the best Website designing company in Mumbai.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Get the best and high-quality digital marketing services by hiring the best SEO Company in Noida. We can really help you in reaching your business goal.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Are you hanging in between whether I should hire someone to Do My Class For Me by Do My Classes Now or not? Well, you are thinking overly. Hire us and allow our educational professionals to take away your doubts.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I don't have word to say in which i can give respect you. Really you have shared very nice and informative post. Keep posting like that and sharing information like this.
    Upcoming residential projects in sector 79 Noida

    ReplyDelete
  9. If you are finding the best car parking shades supplier in Dubai, UAE then you should go with AL Mumtaz tents where you can get all types of tents and can make your event more impressive. Connect with us for more information. Car parking shades suppliers in uae

    ReplyDelete
  10. If you are looking for the best provider of Work permit in poland then you must go with Steadfast Services.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Here is the best offer for phone insurance at the affordable price
    Online Iphone insurance

    ReplyDelete
  12. If you want to increase your business through a website, and you are looking for a company that designs the website according to your requirement, then contact us, We are the best website design company that provides services in this digital world,
    Website design company pargue

    ReplyDelete
  13. We will also analyze your area to define your business personas and their expectations, so as to propose a design in line with your activity and your target audience, contact usWebsite design company Timisoara

    ReplyDelete
  14. Here is a great deal for you If you want to make any Hoarding for your business advertisement so connect with hoarding IndiaFor more information please visit our website

    ReplyDelete
  15. A Website design company named CSS Founder provides great service to its customers. And is keeping its hold on the top-notch in the field of website design and digital marketing. Click on the given link Website design company Eidhoven

    ReplyDelete
  16. I have visited your blog daily. I like to read this kind of stuff and information. Thanks for sharing such a great blog.North Dakota a good state

    ReplyDelete
  17. “Like education, healthcare also needs to be given importance.” Patient Care Services in Varanasi

    ReplyDelete

  18. Artattackk is a well-knowned Website Designing Company In Delhi having 11+years of experience.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Worship has different importance in our country. If you are living in Bengaluru and looking for North Indian Pandit ji in Banglore to perform puja, you can get solutions to all your problems through AstroPanditam, and book pandit ji for puja at home.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me!