Thank you all so much for your sweet thoughts and welcome. I so appreciate it! If you have any thoughts you can share about sending your kids off to school I would love that too!
Emma is set to start kindergarten this fall and I went to her school to get the registration papers and because I am concerned about having a teacher who is on top of things and will notice if she is low and respond accordingly (because she told her teachers at church that she was low and they told her class would be over in a few minutes and she could wait. Sheesh).
I briefly explained our situation and the receptionist just said, "Oh yeah. We have lots of kids with diabetes. We just have you fill out some papers about her medicine." I asked if I could talk to the nurse and she apparently only works on Thursdays. The smart mouth part of me was thinking how convenient it must be that kids at their school only need medical attention on Thursdays.
So do you have any tips on how best to proceed? I have thought about calling the principal and setting up an appointment to discuss things with her. I just don't know since Emma is my first child to go to school anyway...I have not navigated the complexities of elementary school since I was a student there myself! I'm fairly certain that I would be a mess even if she didn't have diabetes and celiac. I cried the other day when she wanted to walk into preschool without me. How, when I am so used to controlling every aspect of her life, do I just hand her over to someone else and hope they'll take good care of her?!
Send me your email and I'll send you what I did for Avery. I reccommend a 504 plan and meeting with the teacher, principal, nurse, and anyone else who will be involved in her care. I'll email you my ideas. By no means are they perfect, but they should help you get started. And you never know.... Your child's kindergarten teacher just might have her own little girl with T1!!! :). Too bad you don't live here!!
ReplyDeleteMeet with the principal. The principal meets with any perspective parents anyway...find out what their normal protocol is and go from there. You for sure need a 504 plan, and when you put that together, we'll all be here with advice and examples of what we did.
ReplyDeleteNo worries! One step at a time. :)
The ADA has a great online resource about the 504 process and how to best approach it. Now is the time to get started. Request a meeting with the principal and the head nurse....find out how they manage children and explain that you want to implement a 504.
ReplyDeleteBEFORE the end of this school year, have a DATE/TIME on the calendar with the principal, new teacher, nurse, PE teacher....ANYONE!!!! This meeting should take place 2 weeks before the first day of school. If you need to train a staff member on how to check blood sugars, etc, you will need to go in again before school for that. I always went with Addy during the first week - stayed out of the classroom, but met the nurse for lunch and snack to make sure I was there to answer questions about her care.
This is a really big step. Take a deep breath and ask as many questions as you need. We're here to help each other!
I agree with Meri and Hallie. Meet with the principal, the nurse, her teachers and any others who will be involved in her care, but start now. Start with a meeting with the principal. Explain her needs and your concerns. Ask how the school cares for other children with T1D.
ReplyDeleteYou will want the 504 plan in place at the beginning of the school year. You will want staff trained on how to handle D, before the first day of school. Get the ball rolling now.
Both our local JDRF chapter and our ADA chapter offer help. They have classes and literature. You may want to investigate whether similar programs are offered in your area.
I'd also recommend that at the beginning of the school year, have her teacher read a children's book about diabetes during story time. That way the other kids will be introduced to diabetes in an easy-to-understand format.
At the beginning of every school year, we also send home a letter to the other parents in the class, explaining diabetes so that none have concerns about Jack being in their child's class.
Feel free to ask specific questions. Many of us have walked in your shoes. We know it's scary. We're here to help.
Oh boy! This is a tough step...as Meri stated one-step at a time. Absolutely meet with the Principal first...find out how D is handled within the school. D was totally, inappropriately handled in our school until the last couple of years. With that being said, I believe it was due, in part, because diabetes care has changed quite a bit in the last decade. Tighter control is now recommended due to the DCCT findings. Also, pumping is way different than shots etc...
ReplyDeleteMake sure all education is done prior to the start of school...I have gotten dinged on this a few times in the past 2 years.
Make sure you go over...field trips, lockdowns etc...see what they already have in place.
I also made forms for Joe's teacher, PE teacher, music teacher, art teacher...etc...with Joe's picture on it and a general information about diabetes, the treatment, expectations etc. It is on my blog site...please feel free to use anything on my site...I also uploaded the daily log that goes with Joe to school everyday...the nurse and I have used this for 2 years and have found it really helpful.
I'd be happy to help in anyway. Let me know if you have any questions etc...xoxo, R
We use a 504 for unlimited time on testing and work assignments when needed. And also for unlimited restroom/water breaks. For everything else such as day to to day care... we have a "care plan". This covers signs and symtoms, the "what to do's", and other misc. stuff. The care plan goes out to EVERYONE who is in contact with Justin throughout the year.
ReplyDeleteJust to be safe, ALWAYS chat with everyone including P.E., music, art etc... because a lot of times teachers don't read all the paperwork sent to them. This will help them remember her special needs cuz they know Mom's on top of it :)
Theres LOTS of great advice on here from some wonderful ladies. Let us know if you need anything:)
Lorraine from This is Caleb helped me with my 504 plan and we just met yesterday with the school about David entering kindergarten in the fall. I think it will be a lot about persistence and kindness and prayers that it will all go okay but after seeing my David in the kindergarten classrooms it was exciting to have him be so ready for school even though I'm not sure if I ever will be. If you'd like a copy of my 504 I'd be happy to send it to you!
ReplyDeleteLoves,
Adrienne
I'm right on your tail. My son starts school next year. I am curious what you ended up setting up with your daughter. We recently moved to the UK (temporarily), so are dealing with different laws, etc. But still, one wants good care for their child no matter where they are in the world. If you have a free moment I would love for you to post (or email me) what you ended up doing. How is she doing in school? Any incidents thus far?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your blog. For sharing your thoughts and feelings. It helps me know that I am not alone in this battle and trial. :)
Mindi
gogogirl_10@yahoo.com