G is turning 5 this year, which means he will be attending Kindergarten in the Fall. YIKES! Where did the time go.?!!? Generally speaking, I do not do well with change. The process of getting G enrolled in a preschool program (via Committee of Preschool Special Education) coming from Early Intervention was a bit stressful. I was so used to having G’s therapists come to the home and observing every session. I used these opportunities to learn how to help my son as well as make sure he received the help he was entitled to receive. When we started a preschool program, I visited a bunch of schools and weighed our options. Finding a supportive, encouraging environment that would be accessible to G was onerous. I scrutinized aspect of the program and ended up going with UCP Brooklyn. They were closest to home and had an open door policy when it came to the parents coming in to observe. G also received services at a clinic for additional related services (i.e. PT) I’ve been extremely happy with both UCP and the clinic he was attending. G flourished in both environments and I became extremely fond of the staff that has worked with my son.
Now, all of it is coming to an end. G will be going to elementary school in the fall and all of his services are transferred to the jurisdiction of the Committee of Special Education (CSE). This brings on a whole slew of uncertainty, investigation and stress. G cannot attend his zoned school since it is not “barrier free” (there are no elevators, ramps or accessibility for those with limited mobility), so I had to wait till the end of the school year for the Department of Education (DOE) to assign him a school. Plus, after an IEP meeting, I did not agree with the services that were being offered to G and requested to go to mediation to try to come to some sort of agreement. Gearing up for Mediation was another stressful event. I had no idea what to expect, who I was going to deal with and what type of conflict I was going to have to confront. I enlisted an Educational Advocate from AHRC NYC to help me with this process. The advocate was able to guide me through everything, advise me on key phrases to use and explained the position of the DOE. He participated in the meeting via telephone and helped convey some of my concerns and needs to the others. Overall, although I did not get EXACTLY what I wanted, I did get the proper accommodations for my son written into his IEP. Hopefully, it will be adequate to keep him safe in the classroom and to help him continue the physical progress he has made over the past 4 years.
I survived the initial process of creating an IEP for Kindergarten, now I have to get over the anxiety of my “baby” starting a “big kid” school. I know many parents can relate to these feelings but this is compounded by issues of who will be the teacher, will he/she be creative enough to include G in all the classroom activities? Who will be providing his much needed therapy? What will their skills be? Will the school be accommodating and fulfill what is mandated on his IEP or will I have to be at that school on a daily basis checking up on all this? Having a child with special needs often means having to battle many different types of systems in our society. It is something I am learning to accept but is always difficult nonetheless. For now, I will enjoy the summer and pick up the “warrior mom” battle at the end of August.