So we've decided to take the leap of faith and put our daughter in the hands of someone other them my mother or my husband and myself. They are opening a preschool and day care center in the building I work in. I'm going to start by having her go just two days a week, and only in the morning so she shouldn't need any shots and they only have to monitor for highs and lows. I'm trying to give her a little more independence, and I know if there is any problem I can be there in 2 minutes. I feel very fortunate to have the option, but also a little nerve racked to take a little leap of faith.
When I was diagnosed my babysitter at the time said she'd be glad to do whatever was needed to take care of me. My mom (a single mother at the time) was SO grateful to have my babysitter step up like that. This was back in the days before glucose meters and cell phones and I survived. With all the good technology now I'm sure your daughter will do just fine.
I totally understand. My daughter who goes to 4 yr preschool 3 days a week from 9-11:30 AM was diagnosed on 11-16-10. I kept her home until the end of January. We have a private preschool, so they are not familiar with alot of things and there is no nurse available. I trained the teachers and live 5 min away but it was so nerve wracking at first. It is a good transition period for us, as she goes to Kindergarten this fall. I need this transition period as much as she does. I do not leave her with sitters....or family even!
It is still very hard for me to let her go but I know it is healthy and important and as long as everyone is trained, knows what to watch for and has the items needed to take care of her should the need arise; then there is no reason why she should not go. She deserves to have her independence! Just like all the other children. You will get through this!
What a big step! That's so nice that it's in your building, so you're nearby. You're giving your daughter a gift by allowing her to develop her independence separate from her family and allowing her to have the benefits of preschool that other children get.
My son started half day preschool a little over a month after he was diagnosed!! The first year had a few bumps in the road. Anytime he was low they would ask us to come pick him up and that was making my son feel "bad" We worked through that and now his about to finish his second year which has gone much more smoothly. He is in full day daycare monday thru thursday. We have a paper that goes back and forth from home to school everyday. We write down blood sugar, times of testing, and everything that he has eaten and every week we start a new one. It also helps us with keeping a food log and blood sugar log to show the endo doc. I has been a wonderful thing for us. My son is not always a fan of eating and we have to find creative ways to get his carbs in sometimes. We have a written plan of action as well so that if he is low or high that they know what to do!!
we're actually starting on Monday and a friend of a friend have us a templete with information about what to look for in lows and what to do. I dropped them off at the school this week. And lucky it's in the same building I work in so I can always run down there if there is a problem. Though I really want them to manage with out me so we don't start that trend of needing me to be there every time she has a low.
Thanks for your input, I'm feeling pretty good about it.
Our 4 year old son has been in daycare for the past 2 years. We are very lucky to have them willing to get trained to deal with Type 1's. My son was the first in their 25 year history. I went in and trained the staff. They give him his lunchtime shot and monitor him the entire day. Usually from 7am to 3pm. Every day they write in our book what his numbers were and what he ate. The daycare has a caterer and we get the new menus every 3 months and calculate his carbs in advance.
My advice is to keep communication up with the daycare/school. You need to make sure you praise the teachers or people taking care of your child. Involve them in the decision making process as well. If your child has had a good week with numbers it's also because of the good work from them. TELL them. They need to hear that too.