Kay kicked off her first day of Extended School Year (ESY), and I’m so thankful that this program is available! She absolutely loves school — it’s clear that she thrives on the routine, structure, and social interaction it brings. The moment we arrived, Kay was all smiles, eagerly running up to each teacher and staff member to say hello, and they greeted her with just as much warmth and excitement.
While I was excited for her, I’ll admit I was also a bit nervous. Summer school came with new nurses who haven’t worked with Kay before or managed her diabetes care. That part is always hard. Not every nurse is familiar with Type 1 Diabetes, the devices Kay wears, or how her insulin needs can change throughout the day
During the regular school year, I’m able to walk in with her, talk to the nurse, and give updates from the night before — like whether she had any overnight lows, what she ate for breakfast, or any changes in her routine. But ESY is different. Drop-offs feel rushed, and there’s not really time to communicate those important details, which makes it harder to feel confident handing off care.
The first day had a bit of a hiccup. Kay had a mild low blood sugar after running around outside, and the nurse’s office ended up over-treating it — which led to a rebound high. After that, I decided to simplify things. I removed the wide variety of snack options I had previously sent (which worked well when Kay could choose based on mood) and instead packed clearly labeled Ziploc bags. Each bag contains a specific number of fruit snacks, labeled with the carb count and the exact range of blood sugar it’s meant for. That way, it’s easy for the nurse to grab the right snack without second-guessing.
I also started enabling Activity Mode on her pump while she’s at school, which temporarily adjusts her background insulin to help prevent lows during active play. So far, that’s been a great move and has helped keep her more stable throughout the day — so I plan to keep using it as long as it continues to work for her.
Summer school is short and sweet — just a few weeks long — and Kay is already wrapping up her first week with three more to go. Even with the challenges, I’m proud of how well she’s handled the transition. Watching her joyfully run into school reminds me how resilient she really is.