Believe it or not, Isaac is going to start going to school next week! When we went back to the US in Aug/September, Isaac went through an Early Developmental Assessment and it was recommended that Isaac get occupational and physical therapy. We started looking for English speaking therapists after we received the actual report in the fall and finally found an English speaking occupational therapy (OT) through Tokyo International Learning Community (TILC) - a special eds school for the expat community in Tokyo. Isaac started OT sessions one hour a week in December and we immediately began to see huge improvements in Isaac's fine motor skills and his communication skills with us - even though he still doesn't talk much nor sign much but his understanding, comprehension and interaction with us improved a lot.
Anyway, I have been told I have to apply to preschools early, may be up to a year ahead of time and Jong and I thought it might be good for him developmentally to get an early start too so around mid December I asked the Head of TILC for recommendations for pre-schools that might be good for kids with slight special needs and we got 3 recommendations. I immediately contacted the 3 schools. Because it was right before Christmas break, I heard back from 1 school immediately which told me to be in contact again in the New Year but never heard back from the other 2 schools. After the new year, I did hear back from another school and we were able to arrange a visit but despite a lot of efforts, I could not get in touch with the school that I heard from before Christmas (it turned out that the school administrator got quite sick). Anyway, we visited the school and it seemed like the right school for us:
-they have a high teacher to student ratio (3 teachers to 1 student but 1 extra teacher for the class of 9 children when they go to the park),
-they had 2 or 3 days a week programs (we didn't want Isaac to go 5 days a week since he is still so young and so prone to getting sick),
-they let parents (and nannies) stay and observe for as long as they want (I am not sure if this is typical or not in the international schools in Tokyo since we only visited one school but this was important for us to let Isaac ease in gently)
-their programs are English only (some preschools in Tokyo try to be bilingual English and Japanese and because of Isaac's speech delays, we have been told that we should only focus on English with Isaac)
-and last but not least the school is located right across from Jong's tennis club so daddy can play tennis after dropping Isaac off at school :) (for those of you who know preschools in Tokyo, its ABC International School)
When we visited, we were told that they might have an opening sometime in February for their 3 days a week class. Although 2 days a week seemed a bit more attractive but we thought that would be okay too. We didn't expect that Isaac could get in so quickly but we really thought it would be really good for him as he is getting so bored at home and he really loves being around other kids. Since I work and because of Isaac's early days when we couldn't really go out and interact with others, we don't really know that many other kids his age so I have not been really able to set up regular play dates for him. Anyway, we have been waiting to hear and then all of a sudden I got an email from the school right before lunch time on Friday and was told that they had openings in both their 2 days and 3 days a week program and that we could start as early as next week! So we decided to go for it! We are going for the 2 days a week class. Isaac is going to start preschool next Tuesday!!!!!
Please pray that Isaac will thrive in pre-school and not get sick too easily!
Its kind of funny because every expat parent I have spoken to all have visited all these schools before they decide which one is best for their child. We just visited one school and that was it. :) I guess it might be because our goals are a bit different. Most people are trying to make sure that they children go to the best school that can help them excel and become future leaders and geniuses. Not that we don't think Isaac can be a future leader (although being born in Japan he is unfortunately not eligible to run for President (in the US)) or a genius, right now we just want to help him catch up developmentally and make some friends. It sure is a very expensive way to get him structured play dates though. We calculated the per hour cost for the preschool and its more than his 1 on 1 occupational therapy sessions!
So we will be taking lots of pictures on Tuesday and I will try to post them as soon as I can.
On other news, I am now 30 week pregnant. I can't believe I am in the 3o's now! I did get the unfortunate news that I have borderline gestational diabetes so I have had to adjust my diet. Its a bit difficult to go for a low carb diet in Japan. I am also bummed that I am told that I can't gorge on chocolates right before Valentine's Day. Its funny because I am not a big chocolate eater but now that I am told I can't eat too much of it, that's all I have been thinking about! ^_^
Anyway, I WILL BE BACK!
Sonia `
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Wow on all accounts. I'm sorry to hear about the borderline GD and chocolate ban, but thrilled that you have made it to the 30s. That's tremendous.
And I am intrigued by Isaac's preschool milestone. I have often thought about this vis-a-vis Hallie. I think she'd really blossom among other kids (though she was a bit taken aback in music class and at the park since she'd never been around so many at once) and have thought about getting her on a waiting list for next year some time (she'll be two actual in June and adjusted in October). But several things have held me back. There's the getting sick issue, but now that we're clear about her allergies, this isn't so bad (as long as she doesn't accidentally ingest cow dairy). And then there's the eating issue--she can do a cheerio here and there, even 10 at one controlled sitting, and the occasional fry if the circumstances are correct, but isn't at all close to eating regular food or eating by herself (feeding herself purees with a spoon). I am not sure how we could handle that at preschool when there are so many kids for the teachers to worry about. And finally there's the napping issue--she goes to nap with a bottle and often has to be held, or at least strapped into her stroller, and conditions need to be optimal. We need to figure out how to train her late in the game to self-comfort. And we'd love to get her off of the darned bottle, but she only takes a third of what she needs milk (goat) wise from a cup (straw cup) these days. And that's if things are going well.
How is Isaac with both of those issues (eating, napping-bottle)? Does the school make any special accommodations? I ask these things of our neighbors, but their kids are all full term and 'typically developing.' While I think Hallie has a good chance down the road of the latter, we still aren't there yet and so those things keep me back from exploring these sorts of options for her.
If you get a chance, I'd love to hear more!
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