Getting to the First Day

Getting to the First Day

The first day of school marks a fresh start for many - new backpacks, sharpened pencils, smiling photos on the front porch. But for families of children with disabilities or IEPs, that first day isn’t the start. It’s a finish line.

A finish line we’ve been running toward all summer long.

While others were at the pool or planning vacations, we were in amendment meetings. We were rewriting goals, reevaluating accommodations, scheduling evaluations, trying new communication devices, and sitting in rooms with teams of eight professionals - all working hard to make sure our child has what they need to simply show up.

We researched therapies. Practiced transitions. Updated medical records. Printed new routines with Velcro tabs and visual prompts. We cried in our cars after meetings that felt more like battles. We celebrated small wins that no one else even saw.

So when August 1st arrives - or whatever your district’s start date may be - it’s not just a new beginning.

It’s a mile marker for families like ours.

It’s the quiet exhale after a summer spent doing everything possible to make sure our kids are seen, supported, and safe.

And here’s what I want you to do with that:

Find a parent. A caregiver. A grandparent. A guardian.
Find the one who got their kid to school.
Look them in the eye and say: Well done.

You don’t have to understand every acronym or every struggle - just recognize the effort.

Recognize the strength.

Recognize the sacred work of loving a child through systems that weren’t built with them in mind.

To every parent reading this who fought to get their kid to day one:

You did it. You’re doing it. And we see you.
Your effort matters.
Your presence matters.
You matter.

We see you.
We’re cheering for you.
Keep going.

- Abby