The First Day of School

Today was the first day of school for both of my girls. My 4 year old is in her second year at a preschool through the intermediate unit that is a class specifically for kids with Autism. My 2 year old just started at a typical preschool in the two year old class.

It is kind of bittersweet to see my two year old. She seems to really excel and I think she will do really great at this preschool, but in the back of my mind I always think back to how we tried to do a typical 2 year old preschool with my other daughter. It did not go so well.

We attempted to start my 4 year old who was 2 at the time at a local church preschool. We only made it about a month and it was a terrible experience. Instead of even making the effort to get her to participate they would just stick her out in the hall with the teacher's aide. I ended up going with her the last day we were there and we both basically stood out in the hallway while they had circle time. They were alright with letting her do the free play but once it was something structured she was cast out to the hallway. They did not even give her the opportunity to try. We ended up getting locked in the stairway while we were out in the hallway, I had went down to the stair well since she was singing in the hallway and I did not want to disturb anyone. They did not even come to let us out of the stair well until the end of the school day which was about an hour later. That was the last day I sent her there. What is the point of sending her to a place that has no desire to even attempt to get her to participate.

The worst part was that when she was given her diagnosis I called them up to let them know and they assured me it was not a big deal and that they could accommodate her. I really wish that they would have been upfront with me about not even wanting to try. We ended up sending her to the Intermediate Unit preschool about a month later when she turned 3. I was so scared that we would have another horrible experience but instead it was great. They knew how to handle kids like her and were able to see her potential. She is in her third year there (the first year was only a half year) and she is doing great. She really enjoys school and looks forward to going there. This was a nice change to the crying and fighting me to go into the other preschool. We had only been going there for a month when we quit and she already hated it. I am really glad that she is in the right place and that she is happy there.

Now back to the my current 2 year old. She did pretty well, only a little bit of crying when the parents left the room. The other kids were all crying as well and they said that they expect that. She is very social and I am sure she will make friends easily. It is such a change from our last experience where going in I had "that" kid. You know the one who isn't potty trained, who doesn't talk yet, and cannot sit still. It was nice to not feel like all of the other parents are judging you, but also bittersweet.

I am too tired to proofread so I apologize if there are a ton of mistakes. Thanks!