i refused to take my son to the preschool the school district picked for him. i demanded and received NPA speech therapist--- best thing i EVER did!
for social, i made sure he was around NTs as often as possible, even joined a playgroup where i realized the moms were really a bunch of snobs--- but they had sweet kids who most importantly were NT, and i stayed with it for over a year! once he a week he ws with these kids, he went to so many birthday parties and holiday celebrations- it was all good and was the most amazing therapy and free of charge!
and for myself, i learned to navigate around and thru the snobbier moms and discovered that one on one, the ladies were actually very nice! i guess it was just mob mentality, that's when the snobbery seemed to happen LOL
i think though if you want/need these services for your son, yes you must jump thru their hoops. the thing is, they don't really WANT to have to provide services b/c of the money. at least that's how it is here, if a parent doesn't know of the service- even though child could benefit? or if the parent is asking about a service for child- but parent again doesn't actually KNOW if it is available? here- the school district doesn't offer the service or any information re the service.
just keep advocating. keep being the squeaky wheel.
though for me, i found endearing myself to them seemed to work better. or rather- endearing my son to them,and how well he was doing and how everyone was so awesome at helping him and were such an amazing help and part of our team. yada yada yada
((it was sometimes very true, other times? not so much! but it helped serve up results and them wanting to help...
you're right ... I'm sure it is about money! ... we're in IL and pay ridiculous money in property tax. Our house is worth maybe $180 000 and we pay $8400/year in property tax and out of that about $5500 goes to the school district. If they can't provide me with the services I need, why not give me the money back and I'll make sure our kids get what they need??? ugh!
one of the reasons why I'd like to see DS4 in pre-school is it would give me time to work one-on-one with DS2 who needs it.
I do have a great option for socializing at the moment. There is a local kids play house / cafe that is set up sort of like a Children's Museum with different play areas and a small gym and the staff supervises the kids while parents can stay in a cafe behind a glass wall and relax, work ... or can be inside with the kids. We have a monthly membership so can drop in anytime. I figured out the days / times when there aren't as many kids so it's not as overwhelming for my boys so if all else fails with school, this is the perfect place to be. I just wish I could have him in something more structured. But we all love this place and the staff is great with the boys and they don't judge them based on some of their quirky behavior ... they just see two sweet little boys
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