THREE YEARS OLD!

When Jasmine was two and a half years old, the social worker informed me that I should start looking for a preschool for Jasmine. The early intervention program was only available to her until she was three, and then she would need to go to school. I was not very happy to hear that, since I had never sent my own children to preschool. I wanted my kids at home with me their first years of life. After all, they would be going to school for a long time. I never understood mothers that couldn't WAIT to get their "life back",anxiously signing their three year old up for school. I kind of went into panic mode. Why did she have to go? Since she was a foster child, I had to listen to what they told me to do. I checked out our local school district's program, and it was clearly not suitable for Jasmine. The kids were walking and talking and had some delays, but none as severe as Jasmine's.The preschool was for two and a half hours every day, and they said they would have to pull Jasmine aside for her tube feeding. That in itself was very time consuming, taking around forty five minutes to finish. That wouldn't leave her much time for any activities. My friend Karen told me about a private school that she had heard about called The Lehmann School, which was not far from our house. I set up an appointment with the school district and Lehmann, and went to scope it out. What I saw was sad and happy, all rolled into one. Some of the students were sitting in chairs, looking like they had no idea what was going on. There was equipment everywhere, along with students, teachers and aides. Everyone was so friendly, and clearly were there because they wanted to be. I was hesitant about the school, because I wanted Jasmine to be around able bodied children so she would one day become one of them. Well, that's not how it works. The more I saw, the more impressed I was with the school. They clearly were commited to these children. They had full time nurses and therapists and were very eager to have her. The school called me shortly after and told me that Jasmine was approved for the program which would be paid for by our school district, and she could start after her third birthday. I was so upset. I was just getting into a routine with Jasmine, enjoying every minute I was with her. She would be picked up on a bus, right at the end of our driveway. I never had to send my kids on a bus until they were in junior high school. How was I going to send a little three year old in a wheelchair on a bus all by herself? Well, as luck would have it, God gave me a few extra months before she would have to go.