During the time my mom was in the hospital we had no babysitter. My husband and I were taking turns working and staying home with Susie. One October night I ran into a local daycare provider at Casey's. When she asked me how my mom was, I cried. I gave her a tearful update on our lives and by the end of the conversation she offered to help us with Susie for a few weeks as she had an opening. For what felt like the first time ever admitting some of Susie's struggles, I poured my heart out to her telling her Susie didn't talk and wasn't potty trained. She sweetly assured me it would be ok, and they would do the best they could. Susie had never been with anyone other than Nana and had never been around many other children. I was so nervous, but the daycare provider was extremely gracious and loved our little Susie each day.
Since we knew this wasn't a permanent fix, we began brainstorming what would come next for Susie, because at this point, we didn't know if or when Nana would be able to keep her. Preschool was not an option, as she wasn't potty trained. One day while crying over some pizza in the hospital cafeteria with my sister she suggested that maybe there was a school that could help Susie learn...she doesn't know this, but it stung. I still wasn't ready to admit Susie needed help. A few days passed and my principal at school asked me if I had ever considered sending Susie to UCP (a preschool for early childhood special education students). It was at that moment I knew it was time to do something. I went to my fellow special education teachers, and speech pathologist and told them I was ready to start the evaluation process. This was extremely emotional and difficult for us, and my colleagues/friends were amazing. They were very professional and understanding and they worked quickly to conduct the evaluation. I wasn't surprised by the findings, Susie qualified for an IEP (individualized education plan) under the category of YCDD (Young Child with a Developmental Delay). Susie's scores qualified her for UCP, and she started classes in November of 2022.
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