hope surrounds us.
The other day Joe went to visit the opening of a new Chicago Public School called the Hope Institute.
It’s a charter school that will serve a population of children with special needs and neurotypical children. The goal for the children with IEPs (20 percent of the population) would be to mainstream them with the other kids in the school at some point.
The IEP kids will have classrooms of ten kids, a teacher and two assistants. The school day goes from 8AM until 4PM and includes — in addition to reading, writing, and arithmetic — horticulture, PE (which apparently isn’t a given anymore!), music, art, and dance.
They’re building a sensory garden, using reflective lighting (since lots of kids with sensory issues including my own E-Niner get overstimulated by light), creating a family and community resource center that will offer seminars and training, housing a school-based dental clinic, and the school runs all year round!
Can I get a big yah-hey?
How about a bigger yah-hey that this school will cost us, count ‘em, zero dollars. Zilch. Nothing. It’s public!
And how about a big, bad boo-yah that their first priority is enrolling local kids…and we are in the 1.5 mile radius they’re pulling from first!!!!!!! That means that E-Niner is almost guaranteed a placement. Can you believe that?
The other good thing includes that because 80 percent of the population is mainstream, there is actually a good chance that T783 and E-Niner could go to the same school. Who woulda thunk?
So the bad news is that it doesn’t open until the fall. I’m not going to have E-Niner at home with me an additional eight months. These last eight have been the hardest of my life, and not the greatest for him in terms of the growth he needs. So we’re going to have to place him somewhere for the time being.
Speaking of placement, next week is E-Niner’s IEP meeting. It’s the meeting where everyone reads their reports. Not sure what else is slated to happen at that meeting, but we’ll be one step closer.
Also on the subject of hope, I’m totally excited about Hopeful Parents. You should see some of the stories people are writing about what it’s like raising kids with special needs. It’s humbled me more than I expected. It’s absolutely incredible. Of course, I’m biased.
Oh, my gosh. That is incredible news. I want a school like that for Sophie but want someone else to do it for us. Congrats on all the luck — you certainly deserve a little good chance thrown your way. And I’ll think about you during the dreaded IEP — much courage and resilience there!
Girl, I’m so excited for you, you don’t even know!! And, thanks again for sending me all the info on the school. Right now, moving to a charter school would probably not be in my best interest. I’m too far up on the CPS pay scale (haha! What a freakin’ joke!! That’s why I have to work 3 freakin’ jobs, right!!?) and charter schools don’t usually match salary. Plus, they don’t give annual step raises like CPS. And, I would have no union protection/benefits, either. I know, I sound like a big complainer, but I’ve looked into charter school many times over the past few years, and I just can’t make the move right now. But, thanks for thinking of me!! I’ll be praying that this all works out for you guys!
That school sounds like it’s heaven-sent! What a concept for a PUBLIC school…I look forward to hearing more about it.
When Katie was being treated for cancer, and we moved into Ronald McDonald House, David transferred to a school that the Seattle Public School District runs in conjunction with the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance called The Hutch School (named for one of the partners in the Alliance, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center – there is a link to it on the sidebar of my blog, if you are interested). After Katie recovered enough to go home, she joined him at the Hutch (when she felt well enough). It was a God-send for both of them. I can’t say enough good things about it, and I hope that your new school will be that good for your family. God bless you.
OMG! Kismet at its finest! This sounds wonderful for the fall! I hope it works out for you!!!!
I am jealous, to say the very least. The school system here is so different from there, there are good things and bad things about that. One is no charter schools, well not in this province anyway, public, public religous and private, those are your choices. Within the public realm (both options) there are some great alternative schools but they are few and far between and it’s tough for ids lie ours to fit in. We struggle with whethre to homeschool or not… we’ll see what happens next year.
The school does sound ideal and your other son could also go to the same school would be perfect. And for someone who understands about waiting it out for the perfect school–it will be worth it.
What wonderful news!
My 1st grader attends a arts-magnet public school that also houses programs for severely disabled children. Because of this program, they are positioned to be broader in their mainstream program with students on the spectrum and other conditions. There are some extraordinary parents and staff there.
Now that my 3-y-o is only a year and a half away from Kindergarten, I am realizing that finding this school was a blessing. I am starting the process of exploring what an IEP for her would look like and still keeping all of her options open.
But I second your “hooray” for enlightened public school plans!
I am new to your blog, found through Hopeful Parents. I send you warm hope and congratulations (and kudos to your school system).
I just noticed the teeny tiny smiley face in the upper right hand corner. Do I get a prize???
Your site is amazing. I think this needs to be on Oprah. I’m not even kidding.
We are checking out this school with caution since there is no way to know if the teachers know what they are doing — since it doesn’t actually exist yet. It is so terrific that you are in prime position to get in should you choose to go with it, though. We might consider it after its first year — especially if J1227 (!) doesn’t get into our first choice this Fall.