We thought the time had come to start school and enrolled Jessie in the nearby Montessori school. I was so excited about this school. I thought Montessori was the right method for Jessie. We paid the enrollment fee and had the tuition ready. When the school sent out its calendar with the start date, I decided that neither Jessie nor I was really ready for her to start school. She was only two.
Jessie was still receiving services through ECI, but those services were ending when Jessie turned three. Then she was supposed to start receiving services, if she qualified, through the public school system. The first visit was to meet with ECI and the school to talk about the program. On our second visit the school looked at Jessie’s verbal and cognitive skills. The third visit was to evaluate her physicality. Then we went back a fourth time to hear the results and proceed with enrolling. Jessie qualified for the early start program under speech and cognitive skills.
Jessie was supposed to start school the Monday after Thanksgiving. That would have happened if I’d filled out the paperwork and submitted it to the school. I must have had a mental block against letting my toddler go anywhere without me. I did not get the paperwork to the school until right before winter break.
Jessie is set to start school on January 4 when school comes back from break. I am excited and nervous. School is five days a week. I have to drop her off between 7:30 and 8am and pick her up around 11. We’re not up that early, so it will be an adjustment.
I left Jessie at Adventure Kids Playcare so I could go out with my moms’ group. She thought I left her. How will she handle school?