my 2 yr old was recently diagnosed, how do you find the right daycare or preschool that can properly care for her all day?
That is a tough one. Our son was already in daycare (licensed in-home) when he was diagnosed at the age of 2. I admit we were extremely lucky because the person who cares for our son we've known since I was a little kid. She was immediately ready to do whatever necessary to help take care of him. He's 4 now and I'm terrified about him starting school in the fall. Try to check out the JDRF website for a seminar called "Reach You Teach You". We went & there was a ton of information and ideas on getting care for a child w/Type 1 as they enter school and childcare. One of the ideas they had was connecting with a teen or young adult with type 1 who could care for your child who already knows the in & out of the disease.
Good Luck
Yes, this is hard. We looked long and hard to find a preschool that would take Lucas for half day. I had to stay for the first few weeks and make sure the teacher was comfortable. They called me at snack time with a bg number and I wrote a list of carb count of the snacks they provided.
Once she is of Pre-K age, the public schools or larger independent schools will have the resources to take care of her with a proper nurse on site. Age 2 and 3 are tough though. If you need babysitting, look into a nanny you can train if you can afford it. If you can stay with her, you can take her to parent / child classes for stimulation.
Good luck,
C
My 4 1/2 year old was diagnosed Nov 22/2010 and I am starting to make plans for kindergarten for her. This is over whelming! I am currently staying at her preschool because the teacher can't do sugar checks. (very busy, high needs class) Where to begin?
Hi there. Thanks for the response. My daughter's name is Sophia too :) She was diagnosed on June 7 2010. We lived with this a few months longer than you have so it will get better as time goes by. Have you thought about trying to show the teacher how to check her sugar? Will the school allow this? Trust me, I understand completely. It's been 7 months since Sophia's diagnosis and my husband and I are still the only ones that have every checked her blood sugar and give her insulin. Let's keep in touch. Good luck with school
Hi Melinda, thanks for the response. I am just learning my way around this site! No, the preschool teacher can't check her sugar...If she turns her back for 1 minute...it is chaos. I have been coming in during the class and checking her sugar. How old is your daughter? How is she doing? How are you doing?
Start seeing if your daughter can do the BG checks by herself. I made my son learn how so he could start Pre-K just a month before turning 5. And by made, I just kept encouraging him to try it, I did not force it. He had been able to get the test strip in the meter since dx at age 3.5 and so we just worked on the other steps, just like you might with any other life skill. I don't have him do an alcohol wipe, just wash hands first. This made it easier for his teachers because then they just have to tell him when it is time to check - and then write down the number and operate his pump remote. It probably took him about a month to be reliable at his checks. My husband and I still do most checks at home so he doesn't get burnt out. (But boy is it nice to have him able to do it if we are in a hurry or have to eat in the car!)
I do feel that having my son on a pump makes it easier for his teachers - I did not train them to do injections - I can pick him up within an hour if he is high and insulin from the pump doesn't bring it down. They are very comfortable operating his pump after training them on it and then spending a couple days in the classroom at snack and lunch time.
I'm new at this site. It's nice to hear all the stories and what people are going through.
My daughter Jaeda was diagnosed June 2007 at 1 1/2 year old. She is now 3 years old and going to Tiny 3's classes. Preparing her for school. It's hard leaving her with someone else. She is only there for 2 hours, but I feel so uneasy everytime I leave her anywhere. But it's only two hours and I leave snacks for her. She is a little high when i pick her up, but I know to check her and see what she ate to correct her with insulin. In September, her classes will be for 2 1/2 hours. Next year it will be for 5 hours! What do I do then?! Her teachers will not check her and will not give her any insulin. Nobody wants that responsibility or liability. It's going to be hard for her at school. I'm not looking forward to it. She is on the medtronic pump and sensor, which makes it easier for the teacher to see where she is at and if they need to call me. Her pump has an alarm that goes off if she is too high or low. At that time they would call me. I'm always no more than 10 minutes away. I take my cell phone with me when I swim and put it in a ziplock bag by the pool. I check every 4 laps I do. It's crazy, how this effects both the kids and parents. The kids have to deal with it physically, the parents deal with it mentally. It's hard to say the least.
I found out I was pregnant with my son a week before Jaeda was diagnosed. My husband was deployed for 8 months 3 weeks after she was diagnosed. I had to do it pretty much alone and pregnant, with the help of my 8 year son at the time. I do plan on getting my son checked for type 1. It's a peace of mind I need.
Now we are raising funds for the cure through JDRF. Doing the Beat the Bridge in May! We did it last year too. Any little bit helps. Hopefully soon, we can get rid of all the needles!
Wondering if you can contact "Early Intervention" to get her a "504" plan - and maybe the public school will intervene.
My son was already 5 when he was diagnosed, so it was too late for us, but now in Kindergarten, he has a 504 and all his bases are covered.
We're in NJ, so maybe it's different where you are, but regardless, contact the local public schools and see if there's anything you can do.
Peace,
June
My sons (5) was diagnosed just three weeks ago. He was already enrolled in a private Christian preschool (school includes grades through 8th) and they have been more than accommodating with my sons medical needs. They have a school nurse on staff. I went in for an entire week...somedays all day and somedays just for his lunch time routine. They watched me then I watched them administer the test and insulin injection as well has monitoring Ian at different points in the day...seeing highs and lows. They have created a 5 deep team prepared to address any issue that might arise. Amazingly enough, several teachers and the nurse have even offered to babysit anytime. We have been SO blessed.
Unfortunately the school does not offer a summer program so I am looking for daycare for my son and his 7 year old sister. I have been communicating with AYS Camp program administrators and a local daycare facility. Both seem willing and able to accommodate...we have meeting scheduled later this month. My son is already preparing his meter and strip and placing his lancet...just needs a little help with the push. He does know the right angle to hold the test strip and even what numbers to look for. But I can't say I would fully trust his ability to evaluate and take necessary action independently. He does tell me next year he will give his own shots. Good luck with your search, I will be praying for a solution.