Wednesday, 9/23--Today I started my job at Pediatric PT & OT Services in Horseheads. Maria was not able to go to Head Start today because there was not a substitute teacher to be her 1:1 aid. Thankfully our friend Ana has decided to watch Maria on the days she cannot go to school. In addition, this Monday there is a meeting for Maria. If they do not give her an aid, she will not be able to return to Head Start. Ana has agreed to watch Maria and have therapies at her house. We are so grateful for her help.
Friday, 9/25--Jeremiah, Ana, & the kids spent the night at our house. It was an overdue time of fun. The next day Ana and Marsha attended a CPR and First aid course. It was a lot of fun!
Monday, 9/28 at 8am we met at the school with the therapists, the Head Start staff, the county staff, and the school staff. We knew it would be a long meeting. We were told that Head Start found Maria to be too big of a safety risk even with an aid. The school district and county did not believe that Head Start was an appropriate placement, so they would not give an aid anyway. We finally decided that she would have to get less services at Ana's house. Most wanted her in a preschool setting, but nothing really exists in our area. We have one 2 year old preschool/daycare, but it is very expensive. After the meeting, we explained everything to Ana and she agreed to watch Maria for us.
At 3pm, a social worker from America World met with us to write Maria's 6-month report for China. It was kind of funny because we had to explain Maria's typical day and we have yet to have had a typical day since beginning September. We guessed what her schedule would be at Ana's and apparently to that was good enough.
Thursday, 10/1, Ana let us know that she would no longer be babysitting. She is going to substitute teach at the school. She felt really bad about it, but it is what is best for her family right now, so we certainly understand that. This meant that we had to double check on all the phone calls we already made to see if there was some place else for Maria to go. The problem with a daycare with multiple kids is that a 1:1 aid would not be given to her there. Her safety would certainly be an issue with a bunch of kids and only a few adults. With her not hearing and putting everything in her mouth, we really didn't feel as if this was a safe solution. We also checked into having her babysat at a home with only a few kids, but then we were concerned about her safety as well. A babysitter would not have all the regulations of a daycare. Also, since we did not personally know any of these people and Maria does not have a "voice" she is the perfect target for child abuse. All of these thoughts brought us back to the fact that our only real choice is the 2-year-old preschool in Elmira that is quite expensive. I called the preschool and found out that they would not accept her without a 1:1 aid. After more phone calls, we have to wait the weekend to find out if she will get an aid.
We would ask for prayers that Maria will end up where the Lord deems best.