School Daze

We’ve finally settled on a plan for IT Boy in terms of a preschool.  He’s not going to attend the nursery school that his sister went to in the 2′s, at least not this year.  We found a (hopefully) great program nearby that is run through Early Intervention and specializes in kids with language and developmental delays.  There are two similar programs in our county, and we checked them both out.  The one we selected is a little further away from our house, and in a non-traditional school setting (more office park-like than old building school-ish), but had great teachers and a warm, comforting atmosphere.  It felt like the right place to send him, somewhere that he could learn and grow, and a place where we would be setting him up for success.  He’s able to get some of his therapies from the staff there, but we’re also going to continue with the folks we have, albeit on a lessened schedule. 

The thing that freaks me out the most is that he’s going to be taking a bus to school.  They have smaller buses (yes, go ahead and say it, “short buses”) with car seats installed and a “matron” to get the kids on and off.  As my buddy Sara said, “He’s too little and cute to go on a bus!”  I certainly agree, but it’s going to be easier for the people who watch him while I am at work to manage getting him on a bus, rather than having to drive to the school site.  It was suggested that I ride to school with him on his first day, and spend some time at the place to help transition him into the new environment. 

Truth be told, I think he’s going to be FINE.  He deals with so many people therapy-wise that he’s got no stranger anxiety.  He’s a sweet little boy who is fine with other adults.  It’s his fellow students I think he’s going to have to take some time to adjust to.  IT Boy is a bit of a brute, you see.  Pinching, hitting and occasional biting are all a part of his repertoire, so that’s going to have to change.  Changes for all, this fall, for sure.