UPK for Noodle?

Our school district began offering a UPK program two years ago. I was thrilled, because Noodle will qualify, or so i thought, this September.

Our elementary school is UPK through 4th grade. Next year, Schmoogie will be in fourth grade, and Noodle becomes UPK age eligible. Perfect, Noodle will get to ride the bus with Schmoogie and get acclimated to the school making the kindergarten transition a breeze, right? WRONG.

It's a huge game, and we came out losers.

Mark your calendars for one of the coldest days in April that we have ever had and go wait outside of the building where registration will take place. Get there early (like 6:00 am, early), because space is limited, and it's first come first served procedure.

I arrive early, not 6 am early, but early enough. I stand outside freezing with the dozens of other parents eager to get their 4 (or almost 4) year olds into Pre-K. With necessary paperwork in hand, I make a mental checklist. Birth certificate, check. Tax returns, yes I said tax returns, check. Immunization record, check. Utility bill, check. I am all set.

UPK is a half day program, whereby you select am or pm class times, and need to have daycare lined up for the other part of the day. First and second year UPK classes included two am and two pm classes and, you could request that they bus your child to your daycare center afterwards, perfect! CHECK, CHECK, CHECK!!!

I excitedly complete the necessary paperwork and stand in line, waiting for two hours to finally be greeted by the Registrar, who informs me:

There will only be one am and one pm class, unless the budget changes. We no longer bus to your daycare choice. Because Noodle will not turn four by September, he cannot board the bus, you will need to drive him until his 4th birthday. Low income families, and those with special needs will get priority.

Check, check....CHECK OUT! Why didn't they tell me this before???

Call me dumb, but I remain hopeful. Maybe the second set of classes will open up and I could drive him back and forth for two month, oh, and maybe I will get a babysitter or a Nanny, at least Noodle will get to ride the bus with Schmoogie for most of of his first year of academics.

WHAT AM I CRAZY?! Well, as it turns out, yes, I am crazy.

Months have past without notification, so I call the UPK coordinator. Here is what I heard...

Noodle is number 7 on the waiting list. We had more indigent applicants this year than usual, and they have filled up most of the available slots. Unless another class opens, it sounds like your son will not be able to attend.

WHAT!?

I wonder how much those who were accepted pay in school taxes each year. OH YES I DID GO THERE! I am pretty burned by this whole procedure.

So, he will stay at his daycare, who offers a wonderful Pre-K program, for next year, and will have to board the bus without his big bro, should be interesting. As usual, I am keeping a positive attitude that he will not hang on my leg to the point of being shaken off to get on that kindergarten bus.

Peace.

Recession is Making me Sick

I never thought my second post would be a sad post.

However, I learned some awful news this morning that brought back a wave of emotions that I cant even begin to describe.

A very close friend lost his job.

For many of us, our jobs, in part, define who we are. A massive amount of your awake time is spent "at work", much of our adult life is spent "at work", when you meet someone new, or rekindle with someone old, one of the first questions is "so what do you do?", which means "what do you do, at work". So, its not difficult to understand why when you lose your job, a part of your identity dies.

When your job is pulled out from under you without notice or hesitation, I can tell you, it is a horrible feeling. It happened to me four and a half years ago, when I was pregnant with Noodle. For a very long time after, I felt as if my world was turned upside down. I felt, sort of, dead inside. Lucky for me, I have Big D, and with some lifestyle adjustments, we did just fine. As for my friend, he too is lucky, as he has a wife with a great job that will carry them through until he secures another position.


His job is (was) one of those that are dependent on this wretched economy. Apparently his abundance of talent and professional skills are not "necessary" right now as we spiral out of control into a recession, depression?

When we were little and were posed that age old question of "what do you want to be when you grow up?". Ya know, no one ever said, "make sure you pick something that is not dependent on the economy." Because, it wasn't a concern. It wasn't a concern even though our grandparents lived through a recession and then a depression. It wasn't a concern because that could never happen again. Well, it did.

In today's world what is happening with the economy, flat out, should not! We are such a rich society, with so many resources, experience and wealth that we should not be in this situation. We should have known better... in my opinion, we have suffered this crisis because of greed.

We need to reflect on who we are, where we have come from and where we wish to be in this country and stop all of the nonsensical BS that politics, greed and sin have allowed this country to marinade in for so long.

Obama says it will get worse before it gets better, only time will tell. How can we, as a nation, have allowed this to get this far in the first place?


For today, I leave you sick to my stomach and sad.
Peace