The Middle Class Struggle
Sometimes it's hard to be in the middle class, you know?
Let me preface this by saying I'm glad that Mark has a good job and that we don't rely on welfare to get by. That said...
Oh. My. Goodness. It should not be this difficult to get your child the help she needs if you aren't making minimum wage and receiving government benefits. There are a lot of things I love about California, but the way they treat the middle class is ridiculous.
A little backstory:
You all pretty much know about what's going with Bailey - she is very behind in speech and language and definitely needs some help catching up to her peers (she is now 3 years old and is still not speaking in sentences and her words are still a little jumbled). Her intelligence is very high, but she can't figure out how to put the words together to hold a conversation - something just isn't clicking. Anyway, she goes to a daycare program three half days a week and it has really helped her build her vocabulary and social skills, but she is still only using one word phrases. Normally, any three year old you meet will talk your ear off and she's just not there yet. Nearly everyone tells me, "Oh, you just wait a little while and she'll be talking like crazy! Don't worry about it." I believe them... to a point. It's frustrating when you keep waiting for that moment to come and it doesn't. I also don't want to wait too long and have her be at a disadvantage when she starts actual school.
We are currently trying to get Bailey into the Head Start program here in Apple Valley which will provide her with the help she needs and give her a much needed "head start" for when she enters kindergarten. However, they definitely cater to the low income population - basically, if you receive any kind of government assistance, you're a shoe in. It's great that those kids can receive the necessary help, but let's be real here - low income kids aren't the only ones who need help. The chances of Bailey getting accepted into the program are iffy, and we're still waiting to find out the verdict on that one. One thing that we have going for us is that Bailey has an IEP, which is basically a form saying "She's behind and needs more help." With that IEP, she is more likely to be accepted but it's not a guarantee.
If Head Start falls through, we're basically going to be starting from square one. I feel like I've checked out every avenue and have hit dead ends each time. Want to get specialized services through the school district? Too bad, you make too much. Want to just fill out an application and get services right away through Head Start? Too bad, you make too much so we'll see if you're approved. Want to enroll in another school that caters to special needs? Too bad, you make too much. It makes me want to rage!! Like I said, I'm glad we aren't making $8 an hour, but it's like the people making the rules don't understand that, Newsflash! Middle class families have bills to pay! Apparently that's a foreign concept to people! We have mortgages. We have credit card debt. We have car payments. We have student loans. Contrary to what some may think, I'm not living in a 8,000 square foot villa with a maid and a butler - we make ends meet and I'm just trying to get my kid the help she needs. It shouldn't be this hard. Seriously.
I may get the call that Bailey's been approved into the Head Start program and then I will officially eat my words. But, until then, I really hate California sometimes.
#rantover
Let me preface this by saying I'm glad that Mark has a good job and that we don't rely on welfare to get by. That said...
Oh. My. Goodness. It should not be this difficult to get your child the help she needs if you aren't making minimum wage and receiving government benefits. There are a lot of things I love about California, but the way they treat the middle class is ridiculous.
A little backstory:
You all pretty much know about what's going with Bailey - she is very behind in speech and language and definitely needs some help catching up to her peers (she is now 3 years old and is still not speaking in sentences and her words are still a little jumbled). Her intelligence is very high, but she can't figure out how to put the words together to hold a conversation - something just isn't clicking. Anyway, she goes to a daycare program three half days a week and it has really helped her build her vocabulary and social skills, but she is still only using one word phrases. Normally, any three year old you meet will talk your ear off and she's just not there yet. Nearly everyone tells me, "Oh, you just wait a little while and she'll be talking like crazy! Don't worry about it." I believe them... to a point. It's frustrating when you keep waiting for that moment to come and it doesn't. I also don't want to wait too long and have her be at a disadvantage when she starts actual school.
We are currently trying to get Bailey into the Head Start program here in Apple Valley which will provide her with the help she needs and give her a much needed "head start" for when she enters kindergarten. However, they definitely cater to the low income population - basically, if you receive any kind of government assistance, you're a shoe in. It's great that those kids can receive the necessary help, but let's be real here - low income kids aren't the only ones who need help. The chances of Bailey getting accepted into the program are iffy, and we're still waiting to find out the verdict on that one. One thing that we have going for us is that Bailey has an IEP, which is basically a form saying "She's behind and needs more help." With that IEP, she is more likely to be accepted but it's not a guarantee.
If Head Start falls through, we're basically going to be starting from square one. I feel like I've checked out every avenue and have hit dead ends each time. Want to get specialized services through the school district? Too bad, you make too much. Want to just fill out an application and get services right away through Head Start? Too bad, you make too much so we'll see if you're approved. Want to enroll in another school that caters to special needs? Too bad, you make too much. It makes me want to rage!! Like I said, I'm glad we aren't making $8 an hour, but it's like the people making the rules don't understand that, Newsflash! Middle class families have bills to pay! Apparently that's a foreign concept to people! We have mortgages. We have credit card debt. We have car payments. We have student loans. Contrary to what some may think, I'm not living in a 8,000 square foot villa with a maid and a butler - we make ends meet and I'm just trying to get my kid the help she needs. It shouldn't be this hard. Seriously.
I may get the call that Bailey's been approved into the Head Start program and then I will officially eat my words. But, until then, I really hate California sometimes.
#rantover
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