Hello, Everyone: Glad to have found this site and this group. My son, who is 2.5, was diagnosed on his 2nd birthday (full DKA, airlifted from ER to Children's hospital from emergency room). We just started pumping about two weeks ago on a Medtronic pump. It's a roller coaster, again, but once we get it right, I am certain things will be so much easier (they already are in many ways).
Things aren't as hopeful on the preschool front. Im finding some schools won't take him, other schools will but with ZERO desire/ability to touch the pump or do any of the medical basics. A few other schools, which I;ve searched out recently, after so many difficulties, have said they are open to helping...have interviews there in the next two weeks.
My son won't even turn three until late September....
Wondering what experiences you all have had with PRESCHOOL. And clearly these are all private preschools. One school said their insurance company forbids them from doing anything with the pump and I have to sign something saying he isn't special needs. The 504 stuff doesn't kick in until K and elementary school, I think.
Am I being too hopeful/naive to think that I'll find someone that can/is willing to learn a bit, so that I don't have to sit outside the school for four hours three times a week, waiting to run in to check blood or hit the Bolus button. If I have to, my nanny and I (Im a single mom) will share the job...but I keep thinking I'll find somewhere willing to do more. Maybe I shouldn't trust anyone else with is care at this age?
Would love some advice. Love to hear what you went through regarding all of this.
My son attended a private preschool at age 3 with a medtronic pump. The school was willing to have him, but we had to go administer insulin. There was a staff member willing to check his sugar and call with the results, so we just had to compromise on that. He attended a different pre-school when he was 4 (attached to the elementary school he still attends). We did pretty much the same thing until Kindergarten, when we had an aide who was willing to take over his care. Now he's in third and everyone in the elementary is willing to help him. Of course it helps that there are 2 T1s in the middle school, and 3 T1s in the elementary school.
The Section 504 law applies to ALL publicly funded educational institutions — that means preschool programs, daycares, etc. Basically, if they offer educational services of any kind to the public, and they receive funding of any kind from the federal government, they cannot discriminate and MUST accommodate your special-needs child. Whether that translates into an adequate accommodation is another matter. Even public school systems have been known to balk at providing appropriate accommodations, and then you have to sue them to get any decent action on behalf of your child. The ADA has a great deal of info about it on their web site here: http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/parents-and-kids/diabe...
You're not being naive. I have my son — diagnosed at 18 months, now 5 years old and about to start kindergarten in the fall — in a privately owned daycare, but I know my situation is unusual. Against all advice from her peers, the daycare owner was willing to get trained by my clinic on how to care for him (and for that, she has my eternal gratitude!). She would not administer insulin when he was on shots, so we had to go over to the daycare 3 or 4 times a day, but once he got on a pump (Medtronic here, too) she undertook the training and gives him insulin as needed. She is confident enough to give him less if she thinks he's likely to drop low, but if he's high she generally calls me for instructions. So it DOES happen, but it's not real common.
My son was diagnosed at about 2 1/2 so we went through the search last year for a preschool. I did run into some preschools who said I would need to come in to do any testing or providing any insulin, but I did find multiple that were more than willing to do what was needed. We are currently in a wonderful school and have just transitioned to the pump this week and. I had our doctors office write a note at the beginning of the year so that they would be able to keep glucagon and give to him if necessary. With our recent change to the pump the office completed a school plan and I educated his teachers. Every day I provide his snack with the amount of carbs and they do the rest (he also has celiac which is why I provide his snack). Hope this helps and if I can give you any other info, let me know.
Our daughter was diagnosed 1 months shy of her 2nd birthday- we started the Medtronic pump a month ago but I ended up having to stay home with her because our daycare wasn't willing to even prick her finger. It was a daycare I'd used for 10 yrs with my oldest but it wasn't close to work or home so that was sort of shot on having to run over and check her and give shots etc. We did find a lady here who does take special needs children into her home but she was full.
I hope that you find someone that will help. I don't know about the other pumps but I know the Medtronic is soo user friendly it tells you what does to give-- I'd hope someone would be willing to give it a chance.
My daughter which is turning 4 in two days was diagnosed 8 months ago and she was in school then. They check her before lunch and when she wakes up from nap. There are times when I have made some changes and I have needed them to check and they do it for me. My daughter does injections and while she is at school one of her insuling is NPH :( but it works because it covers her morning snack and lunch and I do not have to worry about a lunch injection. This is so difficult and I hope you can find someone willing to help. See attached what I gave to her school as well. Hopefully this will work or help out.
Hi Andrea, Where do you live? I found a wonderful daycare/preschool program that was more than willing to take care of Jake. Now they even recognize his lows before he does. They are willing to learn how to give his injections but so far we haven't had to cross that bridge because of the hours that he is there. Hope everything works out for you!
My daughter is 3.5 (dx about 6 months ago). We just did the preschool search for this coming sept. Like some of the others on here, I was lucky. I found one that had just graduated T1 kids to kindergarden, so they are familiar with how to deal with many issues. I called to a number of preschools and found a few that were "willing to learn" but I could hear the hesitation in their voices, like they were silently willing me to pick some where else. I can't tell you how releived I was when I told the preschool we ended up choosing my daughter is T1 that their response was "ok, thats not a problem. We can give you a month ahead snack menu and I assume you just carb count that?" Seriously?? How awesome that they even know what carb counting is, let alone how to do it!! They are willing to check her sugars as needed and carb count her snacks (or they will allow me to come do it if I prefer). They have a poster on the wall regarding signs of lows, always keep OJ on hand, and said that if I want I can bring in special snacks for unexpected special occasions (ie if a parent brings cupcakes for a bday that the teachers weren't expecting). We MDI so she will already have had her insulin and they won't need to dose her any and we use Humulin N as well so there is no lunch time dose. They did tell me that one of the previous kids was fairly unstable and they did have to give a correction dose to him on occasion at his mom's instructions, but I got the impression they didn't really want to do it - it made them very nervous. As for kindergarden, not sure it will be so easy, but for now I am so thankful. Good Luck on your search.
Preschools are super tough - my son was diagnosed at 18 months, and I had to pull him out of preschool at that time. When we went back when he was two, his preschool was not willing to take care of him on their own so he had to go with his nanny. Even though they have a nurse, they kept saying "Jack's not the only kid in school". In the meantime, the preschool made my life miserable but suggesting every month that he not attend school. Any my nanny goes with him and does EVERYTHING. When they kicked him out of summer camp, after a heated discussion where this CHURCH school said "it's not part of our mission to take kids with disabilities" I told them we weren't coming back to school. There HAD to be a better way. BTW, he's going to be three next month.
We have now found a wonderful church preschool less than a mile away who have no problem taking a type 1 child. It is part of their mission to take "medically challenged" children, even though most of the school is filled with "healthy" kids. The school has asked that his nanny go with him for the first couple of months until they understand his signs and procedures, and after that they will handle it.
What I am learning is that there are schools that want our great kids and there are schools that don't, and you just have to find the ones that do. The only way to do it is to talk to other people and find the truth, else you play preschool roulette until you get a winner. We also got great suggestions from our pediatric endocrinologist, whose been practicing in the area 20+ years. I was shocked at the fear and ignorance and prejudice out there, and still pretty upset about it, but I have learned a very good lesson which will serve my family well going forward.
Thank you for ALL of your kind responses … Was a rough time and didn’t have time to respond and thank you all individually…found a small sweet preschool with great teacher student ratio and will give it a try… Other choices wanted afternoon which meant giving up nap…not until he gives it up!! So, well see. Still a bit angry, stunned and disappointed by so many preschools. But it is just preschool after all.
All the best,
Andrea
