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uberscooby January 18, 2009

I am a single mom and my son is 36 months, and has been in foster care for a year now.

uberscooby
He will be returned to me by the summer. The CPS worker is not concerned about his being in preschool til he's 4 or 5. The foster mom refuses to potty train him. He doesn't know his letters, numbers, or colors, and avoids books like the plague. I am very low income, and am told he cannot go to Head Start because he has too many visits with me a week (3). And once he's back with me, the state will not pay for it because he's no longer in foster care. I am worried about him not learning anything, and being held back when he does start preschool, because he won't be ready for kindergarden. What options if any do I have to secure him a good foundation and a bright future in life? Also, I will be working when he is returned to me, is it realistic to think about homeschooling as an option as a single parent. And/OR are there any private schools in the Oakland/Berkeley/San Francisco are that will work with my income level? Thank you
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Parent Answers to "I am a single mom and my son is 36 months, and has been in foster care for a year now."

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Debora
Debora February 3, 2009
I'm from Oakland. You have the right to have him tested by Oakland Unified School District. Honestly, when he's back with you, you can work on the colors, numbers, letters, etc. Also, depending on his birthday, I would red-shirt him if I need to. Most boys I know were not ready for kindergarten in September unless they were born before June. It's just the reality of what is required of kindergartners now days.

Even on a limited budget, you can do "free" days at the Oakland Museum, the Zoo, story hour at the library, Adventure Playground in Berkeley - all of these activities can be free of charge - pack a bag lunch and you're set.
healthy11
healthy11 January 19, 2009
Hi. I'm not from CA, but there is a program called "Child Find" that is meant to identify children who have learning difficulties, and get them into programs and therapies as early as possible, and a parent's income doesn't matter. It sounds like your child has enough delays where he could qualify...you should ask the CPS person about it, or even call your local school district to find out more. Maybe this group can assist: www.childrenscouncil.org/
To talk to other parents of preschool-aged children, you might want to join community.greatschools.net/groups/11534

Any contributed content above is the subjective opinion of that member or external author, and not of GreatSchools. GreatSchools does not check for accuracy in community posts or verify the contributor’s identity. If you are searching for health-related advice we strongly suggest you seek professional medical support. View our Community Guidelines for more details.
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