As summer approached, I originally signed Kay up for Extended School Year services through the school district. For those unfamiliar, ESY is essentially summer school designed to help children continue working on skills during the break so there isn’t regression before the new school year begins.
But recently, another opportunity came up that just felt like the right fit for Kay and where she’s currently at in life.
Her ABA facility offered her an almost full-time summer schedule, and after thinking it through carefully, I decided to move forward with that instead. Once kindergarten starts in August, Kay will be attending school full time and will no longer be doing ABA or several of the therapies that have been such a huge part of our daily life for years now. Realizing that made this summer feel even more important to me.
This truly felt like an opportunity to give Kay a little more time in an environment where she’s comfortable, supported, and thriving before we officially close this chapter and transition fully into elementary school life.
One of the biggest reasons this decision felt right is because Kay genuinely enjoys going to ABA. That alone means everything to me. Any parent of a child with additional needs knows how important it is to find places where your child feels safe, happy, understood, and encouraged. The staff there have built such a wonderful relationship with her, and it honestly made me happy knowing they were so excited about the possibility of having her there more often over the summer.
As a mom, there’s something really reassuring about knowing your child is loved and valued by the people helping care for and teach them. They see her potential, celebrate her progress, and continue pushing her to grow in the best ways possible.
The schedule also works out perfectly because she’ll still be able to attend her other therapies while getting additional time at ABA throughout the week. It feels like the best of both worlds during this transition period.
I know this extra time will help Kay continue fine-tuning so many important skills before kindergarten begins. Things like communication, independence, emotional regulation, transitions, social interaction, and everyday routines all matter so much as she prepares for this next big milestone.
And while I know she’s ready for kindergarten in so many ways, it’s still emotional realizing how quickly we’re moving into this next stage. So much of our life for the last several years has revolved around therapies, appointments, ABA sessions, and helping Kay build the skills she needs to navigate the world more independently. It’s strange knowing that season is slowly coming to an end.
At the same time though, watching her grow into a confident, happy, capable little girl makes every single step along the way worth it.
This summer may look a little different than I originally planned, but sometimes the unexpected changes end up being exactly what your child needs most.