Essie
“Do you know the saying: ‘A rising tide lifts all boats’? I think we really noticed that at kindy – they found that many of the simple changes that the CCS Disability Action team suggested for Essie noticeably improved outcomes for all the kids.”
Disabled children are often denied the opportunity to attend kindy and school with their peers. At CCS Disability Action, we believe that this disadvantages everyone. As Zara says so beautifully in the quote above, ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’, which simply means when you improve things for one person, it improves life for everyone. Essie’s story of inclusion celebrates the team of people that made it happen.
Essie at school
Essie is the second youngest child of James and Zara, having recently turned five. She brings a unique and infectious energy to family life.
“She is a little ray of sunshine,” says Zara. “Essie is full of fun and mischief. She’s always running and jumping and loves a laugh and a joke. She has a genuine affection for people, so is incredibly warm and lovely to be around.”
CCS Disability Action Early Intervention Teacher Karen Valentine, who works with the family now, couldn’t agree more. “Essie is full of beans and personality. She is such a people-person.”
The family has been supported by CCS Disability Action over the past two years.
“After she had been at kindy a little while it was clear Essie needed some extra support. I reached out to other Down Syndrome parents, and they all said CCS Disability Action were wonderful,” Zara explains.
Sarah was the first CCS Disability Action Coordinator to work with Zara and James. They worked with a CCS Disability Action Speech-Language Therapist to create a tailored education plan for Essie. This was based on Essie’s strengths and interests, as well as the areas where she needed some extra support while at kindy. Sarah also arranged for funding, so the kindy could employ Ingrid, an Education Support Worker (often known as a Teacher Aide) to work alongside Essie.
“Ingrid came on board as an Education Support Worker when Essie was three,” explains Zara. “They got on so well immediately. It meant that we could feel confident that Essie was safe and supported while she was at kindy which, despite the very best efforts of the wonderful teaching staff, was hard for us not to worry about.”
The partnership was made even more successful due to the attitudes of the kindy team. “The teachers were incredible. They were very kind and patient but also genuinely open to working in different ways. They took a real strength-based approach to how they worked with all the kids, including Essie,” says Zara.
Some of the changes they made to suit Essie’s learning needs – like introducing a pictorial schedule of the kindy ‘timetable’ – made a lasting and positive difference for all the students. “There’s an expression: ‘A rising tide lifts all boats,’” explains Zara. “I think we really noticed that at kindy. Many of the simple changes that the CCS Disability Action team suggested for Essie noticeably improved outcomes for all the kids.”
Essie and her siblings
Essie moved from kindy to St Michael’s Catholic school earlier this year. “St Michael’s is kind, loving and accepting of Essie. When she was just a baby and I was on the school grounds dropping off or picking up the boys, the Principal would often say: ‘We can’t wait to have Essie here one day.’ We’re very grateful to be part of this school community.”
Karen was involved behind-the-scenes, advocating for the family with the Ministry of Education and securing the funding required for the support Essie needed. That meant a new Teacher Aide and other specialist support was ready for Essie’s first day. “The school was exceptional to work with. They were solutions-focused from the get-go, which was amazing.”
While, like all children, it took a little while to adjust to the demands of starting school, Essie is thriving. “She loves it. We are so pleased she could go to the same school as her siblings. One of her best friends is in her class and she feels so welcome there. She’s very happy. I wish every parent of a disabled child were able to have an experience as good as ours,” explains Zara.
“Essie has helped redefine our expectations for all our kids. We have learnt to really focus on finding our children’s strengths. We have had incredible people supporting us and advocating for us and that’s something we choose to focus on. We will keep believing in Essie and pushing for a happy, fulfilled life for her.”
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