Change is Good!

We are gearing up for a big change...well, I guess Blake is gearing up for the change! Blake is leaving the Meyer Center, the school he has attended since we moved to Greenville, to go to public school. Many of you may know, but now that Blake is 3 years old he can be a part of the Early Childhood Special Education program in the public school system. I have been a skeptic about the South Carolina public schools since moving here (and still think they have A LOT to work on), but I was pleasantly surprised after meeting his prospective teacher, principal and touring the classroom and elementary school. The psychologist and therapists who evaluated him placed him in the highest functioning classroom - a mild language delay classroom. Hooray! I am so proud of him, but also nervous as it will be a challenge.

So, the next step is the IEP meeting which will take place Wednesday, Feb. 25th. Then, Blake will start school 5 days per week - ALL day! He will be attending Greenbrier Elementary, which seems to be very supportive of students with special needs. Blake will have a 5th grade mentor student who will walk him to class when I drop him off! Wow! Blake will get his tray in the cafeteria and eat lunch there with all of the other students. The class is centered around speech and language (yeah!) and Blake will receive all of his therapies at school, too. The teacher is WONDERFUL and she has two aides in the classroom. Even more important, the principal is approachable and very nice..and enjoys having children with special needs in her school and developing more programs for mainstreaming!

I am a nervous mommy as you can imagine. The school - and the students - are big! But, I want Blake to gain as much confidence and independence as possible, along with achieving in academic and functional skills. I am thrilled with the change and look forward to reporting all of Blake's accomplishments and growth with you!