Getting Emi into College...er... Kindergarten

Only in New York could we live down the street from free-roaming peacocks. We finally saw one as we walked past St. John the Divine on the way home from Emi's school the other day. And only in New York could we be on-line, checking the results of two public school lotteries, crossing our fingers that Emi scores a place in one of the district's Kindergarten programs. Sure, we could send her to the school across the street. But I'm not too thrilled with what I've observed as their neighbor the past two years. Nor have I heard very good things about their programs. We live in a district of choice, so each school needs to offer a number of seats to incoming K's to kids throughout district three. 300 spots for 800 applicants. Obviously, many people would rather not send their child to the schools on their blocks, either.

Outcome: we're 'on hold'. The next lottery is in April. By then, we'll have gone through the Gifted and Talented lottery. We'll also see how many of the first round's 300 kids are going to private school or moving out of the city, leaving their spots to those of us 'on hold'.

While we're waiting to find out where Emi may go to school in the Fall, we're just beginning the process for Charlie. In New York State, a child ages out of Early Intervention when he turns three, so services move under the jurisdiction of the local school district. For us, that's the behemoth called the NYC Department of Education. I know this beast, but early education is not my area.

First, Charlie gets re-evaluated, to determine that he is eligible for services (we already know he is) and what type (we already know he'll be recommended for a preschool program at a city-funded school for kids with autism-spectrum disorders). Then there's the visits to schools around the city. And then applications. And waiting lists at the most desirable ones. There's a private school option for kids in this situation, too. But the tuition rates are astronomical. Some of Emi's classmates are heading to private schools with tuition rates of $23k a year and up. I can't imagine the private preschools for kids with Pervasive Developmental Disorder are any cheaper.

Charlie starts a three-part evaluation next month. Thankfully, no one has anything terrible to say about the programs in the city available for Charlie. I've learned that the suburbs offer incredible inconsistency from town to town. I'm learning a whole new set of acronyms, like CPSE, PECS, and TEACCH. I still barely understand PDD-NOS, preferring to focus on his Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) 'cuz the books are easier to understand . Or is it called Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) now? I should add a glossary of terms to this blog.