A Lot to Think About

Today, we had Lilly's case conference with First Steps.  The point of this meeting was to confirm that we want services to continue for Lilly (provided she qualifies), and learn what our options are when she turns three.  First Steps comes to our home for Lilly's therapies until she turns three.  At that point she needs to attend therapy at a school in our district.  We happen to live in East Allen County, which is not known for academic excellence.  
The meeting started with an explanation from the speech therapist at Park Hill Elementary in New Haven.  She explained that, due to Lilly's hearing loss, she qualifies to attend a special education preschool.  The preschool meets every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9:15-11:45.  The class is made of students with more sever handicaps, such as Down's Syndrome and Autism.  The therapists would pull Lilly out of class to work with her.  She would also be bussed to and from school.  I asked the therapist what the plan would look like if we chose a parochial school for Lilly.  At first she said that wasn't an option, so I pressured her again.  She said if we choose not to send Lilly to the special ed. preschool, which wasn't in her best interest, we would have to drive Lilly to therapy at an elementary school close to us once a week.  She then went on about how better off Lilly would be in the special ed. program.  This speech therapist has never met Lilly.  At the end of the meeting she finally asked what I do for a living.  I told her I am a special education teacher at a Lutheran school.  She just said, "Oh, then you know how this works."  I also know that this particular speech therapist has been assigned to Central Lutheran and hasn't had stellar reviews herself.
After talking with the speech therapist from Park Hill, I had a private conference with Cindy, our rep. from First Steps.  I told her all my concerns, which are... 
Dave and I both feel Lilly should stay home one more year before attending preschool.  We will do whatever it takes to get her the therapies she needs, but we know her better than anyone else, and know her cognitive abilities are great.  I can recognize Learning Disabilities, and Lilly doesn't have one.  Once she gets hearing aids, things may be totally different for her.  East Allen county schools have a terrible reputation.  We are the biggest advocate for Lutheran schools.   I also know that if Lilly qualifies for services, they HAVE to provide them for her regardless of the school we chose.  My gut is telling me this is wrong, but I really want to make the right decision for Lilly.  I don't want to hinder her growth, but I have to look at the whole picture and not just her disabilities.
After I vented, Cindy told me that she completely understands.  Her daughter has Down's Syndrome and she was presented with the same options when her daughter was young.  She opted to have private services for her daughter instead of enrolling her in school there.  She said she would give us a list of therapists, if that was something we wanted to do, but couldn't do that at this meeting.  I would have to talk to her separately, outside of official meeting time.  She just reassured me that there are options available.  Some may cost more than others, but we do not have to make a decision today.  She suggested that we keep Lilly in the system for now, because it's easier to say no later than re-enroll if we change our mind.  Also, right now all her services are covered, which is a HUGE blessing.
So, now we need to re-assess Lilly though First Steps to see what services she will qualify for.  She will definitely qualify for speech therapy, but may test out of physical therapy and occupational therapy.  She has met her milestones in those areas.  The therapists will continue to come to our home until September, when Lilly turns three.  We are praying that God gives us guidance for what to do after that point.