PAT

This morning we meet with our Parent As Teacher (PAT) for the first time. Her name is Amy Scavuzzo and she was a kindergarten teachers before becoming a PAT. She is super nice. Anna and Ashley warmed up to her quicker then I expected. Maybe it was because she came to our house and we were in their favorite place, the basement. I hit it off immediately with Amy and think that we will have a really good working relationship. I really look forward to meeting with her at least once a month with Ashley. Unfortunately since Anna turns 3 she has to exit the program (meaning Amy only got to see her once) but I am so thankful she even got to meet with her at all. And Amy is so great that she said that she will answer any questions I have about Anna at any time and she will talk with Anna every time she comes by our house to play.

She was at our house for an hour and it flew. The girls played games with her, they showed her the things they like to do, they talked with her and answered some questions for her. They did great! Amy was very impressed with both girls; especially their love for reading, coloring, music and puzzles. She said it made her kindergarten teacher heart VERY happy!

She was extremely helpful in letting me know where both girls are developmentally and what I can do as a parent to foster both their strengths and weaknesses. I plan on taking the girls to weekly playgroups on Tuesday and Friday mornings around 9:15 to be with other kids in the program. I am also taking both girls to get free hearing and vision tests through the Blue Valley School District. I am also setting up an appointment for Anna to take a free articulation test through the district. Our PAT was telling me that a stranger should understand around 75% of what Anna says and I told her it's probably not even 50%. So she referred me to the speech lady in the district to see if further intervention is needed. Can I just say how much I love this school district? How much they care about my children who are 19 months and almost 3? I mean these kids aren't even in their schools yet (I know eventually they will reflect their national test scores, but still. This early intervention is just amazing). They aren't being "tested" yearly by the state assessments so it's so refreshing to see the love and attention they are getting from a "teacher" in the district. They are getting this free attention and me free direction by a lady who obviously LOVES what she does. Thank you Blue Valley. I heart You.

Much Love,
Jenny

PS I also asked about Anna's stuttering and she reassured me that a lot of kids go through this at age 3 and sometimes it clears up quickly, sometimes longer. She said her daughter started the same type of stuttering as Anna when she turned 3 and it lasted until she started kindergarten. I was so happy that she heard Anna stutter a couple of times so she could listen month to month for improvement. So we will just watch!