I called the headstart program only to find out that that is the wrong place for me to call. They are a preschool program that would be happy to have Jake enrolled, however they do not do evaluations. They referred me to the school system's special education program.
I did receive a call-back from the special education coodinator. She sounds super-nice. I will call her back tomorrow, as she left me her home and cell phone number,even though she has a day off tomorrow.
In my experience, and I have a feeling that this is a localized phenomenom with small towns.. the early intervention programs are rarely utilized by parents, and are more often contacted by daycare workers. In my town it seems that most mamas work, and WAHMs and SAHMs are a rarity. We have some beautiful and well maintained parks around here, yet, at lunchtime on the most temperate day, they are abandoned. Jake, Manny, and I often travel 30 to 45 minutes to Chattanooga just to find a park that is inhabited and feels safe. I portray all of this information just to give readers the idea of the climate in my area (but I digress).
I get the feeling that local special needs and special education workers are more than happy to work with parents who are willing and cooperative. I am interested to see what is in store for us concerning the special ed. evaluation. More to come!
