Our Twin’s Preschool + Pediatrics Plus

Last year, I wrote a post called The Twin’s 1st Year in School with Pediatrics Plus. I am SO grateful for all of the awesome questions from that, so I wanted to share an update on their first 6 months of preschool now that we officially have our boots strapped on with the routine.

I’ll give you a few details of my experience enrolling the twins in preschool. I knew that I wanted to have the twins go to school a year before they started Kindergarten but draggggggged my feet with actually enrolling them. I looked at many of my friend’s school programs, called a few, and eventually couldn’t take the plunge. None felt right for us at the time. I’m also not a big worrier. I don’t stress about most things in the future which meant I didn’t worry that many preschools had closed their enrollment. I assumed it simply wasn’t the right time since I heavily rely on my mama intuition. In April, the sweetest gal named Gracie reached out to me to share some details about their new preschool coming to my town in north Dallas! The email landed in my junk folder, and 99% of the time I delete without reading, but luckily this was different. The email shared a few details about Pediatrics Plus, a developmental preschool that provides traditional learning, along with pediatric speech therapy, occupational therapy, and even services for kiddos with autism. This was the full package preschool with overly qualified & highly trained teachers and therapists. It’s basically a dream program that focuses on evidence-based research for how children most effectively learn! It all just felt right and I was excited to learn more. Since the Frisco, Texas location was still under construction I flew out to Arkansas to visit their established location in Little Rock. It was fantastic to get a firsthand view of their beautiful school, the intentionally organized classrooms, the therapy and sensory gyms, etc. The quality of their work was undeniably detailed to the max. But what was most exciting was to meet the owners and see the absolute joy they have in their work. The entire staff seemed to be one big family.

Fast forward 7 months, and I’m nearly in tears as I think about the most perfect experience we’ve had with Pediatrics Plus. The entire team of teachers have been SO wonderful and I’m grateful for the outpouring of love all the staff in the building offer my kids. Each time we walk into the school, every adult cheerfully greets and hi-fives Ethan and Charlotte as we head towards their classroom to get them checked in. There’s simply so much love. I fully believe this practice of kindness has helped my kids feel EXCITED to go to school 3 days every week.

Last week, I dropped of the twin’s at preschool and I noticed Ethan walked towards the corner of the room and he sat down next to a classmate who has down syndrome. I watched as Ethan started joking with the classmate and then he simply hung out with him while they both watched the other kids in the room play. My heart melted and my eyes swelled up as the teacher walked over towards me and said, “Ethan’s a nurturer. He gravitates towards children younger than he is and those with special needs.” It’s been nothing short of miraculous to watch both my children who don’t have special needs flourish alongside those children who do. These inclusion preschools are phenomenal and I wish we had more available! Ethan and Charlotte have 3 teachers in their classrooms with up to 18 kids at a time. Usually, I only see 5-10 kids in there together at 1 time. I appreciate these very low student to teacher ratios because it gives me the peace of mind that every student in this environment is getting the most effective help. Especially after watching the differences in my twins, no two learners are alike. Ethan has excelled in developing his fine gross motor skills! Not only can he actually color, he can color within the lines! haha. Charlotte has learned to embrace learning her letters and she’s made the connection identifying objects and sounds by using her letters. They come home always eager to share their adventures from school that day. And surprisingly enough, it’s never all about the playground (wink wink). I remember a few months ago, one of their classmates was learning how to walk on his own and the weekly school newsletter was sent home to remind us all to congratulate the excited student for his HUGE milestone. The twins were so excited for him! I’m grateful Ethan and Charlotte are there every day to witness miracles from hard, consistent effort.

While in Arkansas, I visited with a staff member who shared with me that she had been an elementary school teacher for many years before joining the Pediatrics Plus program. She used to decorate her classroom to the MAX. Now working with this new school, she learned that most children become distracted in the classroom with all of the cute, flashy decorations plastered along the walls and ceilings. Instead, only the basic essentials are on the walls and kept at children’s eye level. I SO appreciate these small efforts that create the perfect environment for learning. I cannot scream from the top of the rooftop any louder, we love Pediatrics Plus! If you’re interested in learning more, text PEDSTX to 474747. Easy-Peasy-lemon-squeezy. (sorry, not sorry. Charlotte says it all the time haha!)

Key Messages about Pediatrics Plus!

Enrolling for the 2019 school year
Mommas can text PEDSTX to 474747 for more information
All therapy services are provided one-on-one with a therapist
They offer OT, PT, Speech and ABA
They believe in a blended approach to ABA in that we like to include Speech, PT and OT when needed
You can enroll in our Developmental Preschool as early as 6-weeks
They have a nurse on staff at all times