Starting School

The school year has begun and this year, both boys are attending preschool. Caleb is in a PreK program at a new school this year and Asher started preschool with our local school district. Caleb is not yet five, but technically qualifies to go to kindergarten. We opted to keep him out for one more year, however, for him to gain one more year of speech before starting. We signed Asher up for his preschool program this spring, and although I initially thought that maybe he wasn't ready, the last several months, the idea has really grown on me. Then, last week after meeting his teacher and visiting his classroom, his early intervention specialist told me there had been a mistake and he would have to wait because he was not yet three. We were so disappointed! I hadn't realized how much I was liking the idea of him starting. But then, his fabulous teacher made a few calls and determined that yes, he really was eligible to start with the rest of his class! We were thankful, much so because then he can learn the ropes with everyone else at the same time, rather than starting a month later.

While Caleb was pretty excited about his school and enjoyed his classroom, I'm not sure that Asher has really gotten the significance of his school transition. But for me, it is a great success story. Here is a child that, 17 months ago, I had a difficult time taking in public, anywhere, because he became so overstimulated. He has really needed to spend significant time at home to understand the difference a family makes. And now, he has blossomed and is ready to go!