Stressed out with Mansfield Township Elementary School
My son will be attending Mansfield elementary school in April for there special ed preschool program. This program is only part time until 11:30 am. I was told the district only buses within the border of Mansfield township, my problem is that we need after care bc we both work . The only daycare in Mansfield township is the learning experience and my son didn't have a pleasant experience there. I know we can't be the only parents with this dilemma.. Has anyone else experienced this problem? If so what did you do? Where did you go ? Mansfield has such limited services . my son is on the autism spectrum for speech delay. I'm really stressed out with this problem bc we don't know what we are going to do . I wish I lived in actual Hackettstown, more variety is available.... Suggestions, opinions and referrals are welcome..thanks
moniesincere There are several taxi services in the area, some that specialize in after-school transport for working parents. Why should the taxpayers of Mansfield Township have to pay for this service for you?
My Humble OponionYour post indicates that your preference is to have your child go to the special ed pre-school and then only have your child in an aftercare program for the rest of the day.
Have you tried working with the county services to see about having your child attend a local pre-school full time and have the special services come to that pre-school for the early intervention?
I know this was done in the pre-school that my daughter attended 6 years ago. I recall that there were a few children that had a special tudor come in during the day for additional speach therapy.
This may be more expensive for your in the short term, but it will probably be less stressful for you and your child. Afterall, your child will remain in the same school setting for the full day instead of going to multiple places.
Then next year, you can work to have your child in the special education program in your district.
My child went to the Friendship Center (just outside of Heath Village), but I would assume other day cares can support a similar arrangement.
Another option would be to hire a babysitter for the afternoons (nanny like position) who will meet your child coming off the bus and provide one on one support until you get home.
Coralie Just because you live in Mansfield doesnt mean you child has to go to daycare in Mansfield. If you didnt like the Learning Experience, try a different place. There are many in the Warren/Morris Cty. area. Good luck!
botheredbyu To my humble opinion ... I'm not looking for handouts... I was sharing a frustration and my hubby and I make more than enough money to pay for transportation ... Calm the attitude down !! I was looking for ideas to implement to assist us in our transition with our son for school . But thank you for the suggestion .
Nosila I also have a special needs child. If you don't feel that the Mansfield district can offer all the services that your child needs, you can look into other districts and find a program that is a better fit. It will be a difficult fight, but if the services you need are not available in your district, this is your right. You can call S.P.A.N. organization which will help provide an advocate to assist you in your fight. On behalf of Mansfield school district, their special ed teachers are very good. Mrs. Carla McDonald is excellent. If you wish to talk to me about assisting you in finding a more suitable program, email me at jackieblu1@hotmail.com . As far as addressing your concerns about after school programs, you may have to hire someone to transport your child daily to the program you choose. This would probably be more cost effective than a taxi. I'm sure you are very stressed over this.
ccbw Hey moniesincere, lot's of hater's here. Try your best to ignore them,more good people then the bullies
There was a taxi service geared towards children, but I haven't seen that around for years. Choices are to find a baby sitter on your bus route, or skip the preschool and stick with a private preschool/daycare. Options are limited. Next year you will have full day kindergarten and on-site after school care. It gets easier. Good luck finding a situation that you & your child will be happy with.
maja Where ever moniessincere lives is paying for her child to attend school. Those monies alotted for her child in the town she resides in, that money is going to another district that provides a program that is not offered in her district. That includes monies for transportation.
Moniessincere there are other programs out there that are full day. You just have to search them out. I am sure your child is classified and has an IEP. The local school is not going to tell you everything you are entitled to because is comes down to the money.
I know, I had a nephew living with me that had an IEP and I had to fight for everything. If you want to chat email me michele67bst@yahoo.com
Michele If you have a special needs child run away from Mansfield as fast as you can! It has been my experience there (first hand and confirmed by other parents) that unless your child fits the "normal" mold perfectly, they (and you) are not treated well. Like I said, I have first hand experience with this. Move away if you have to. It's a pain but it's worth it if you want your child to have a good experience. Move to Hackettstown! Their schools were, and continue to be, wonderful for my son.
Alison1 My son is classified as pdd-nos with speech delay and stimming. He has been in early intervention since 18 months however he is about to age out in April . He does have a current IEP with early intervention (Project First Step) the school has all this information however they want to do their own evaluation .so I have to wait for the outcome it . I live in hackettstown but in the borders of Mansfield township .
Kiddie U is a great place. I know that it is technically in Washington Twsp, Morris County, but it is on Newburgh Rd. across from the movie theatre.
grapes "I live in hackettstown but in the borders of Mansfield township ."
You have to understand you don't live in Hackettstown at all. There is no such thing as a part of Hackettstown but in Mansfield. It's been discussed elsewhere but to be more accurate you live in the 07840 zip code that is in Mansfield. That means you could be in any one of 7 different towns yet the post office address for your mail can say "Hackettstown". (you can lalso put any one of the other towns yet use 07840 and it's actually equally valid)
That might seem minor when it comes to your mail, but it's extremely important as you must know when it comes to schools, trash collection, recycling policies, and taxes.
GC I am in the same situation in Hope Township. My son attends the preschool to receive services but it ends at 11:55 and I work until 2:30 2 to 3 days a week. On the days that I work I have another preschool parent bring him to his aftercare. I owe her big favors !!!
JerseyJeepGirl 
Enrsjr quality time with caring family and socialization worked for so many years, especially without having to classify people with issues that could very likely be caused by overstimulation/ too much staring at screens/vaccines/chemicals/ lack of fresh air and free running
..now we have to have full day care for such young kids? yikes, priorities.
Maybe you could go part time at work, just until your son is in school full day? I think it's important to have time with your child, drop him at school and pick him up, having him shuffled from place to place, IMO, won't help his situation.
Tripsy Wow, pax, your input is anything but "pax". It's just full of judgment. The child is on the autism spectrum and has speech delays. Are you a qualified pediatric neurologist? And can you diagnose this child's issues as caused by "overstimulation/ too much staring at screens/vaccines/chemicals/ lack of fresh air and free running"? How dare you question this mother's priorities without knowing her.
And Tripsy, perhaps you have the luxury of being home with your kids. (And perhaps you don't. It is unfair to judge via a forum with cryptic names.) But, not everyone does. In fact, structured programs can be very beneficial for children with these needs. Finally, how do you know how much time these parents spend with their child? Are you also an expert in child development or pediatric neurology like pax?
I'm sorry moniesincere. I wish I had practical tips for you. My kids don't go to Mansfield schools so I have no experience in that arena. But, I know what it is like to have a child with some special needs. I just couldn't let these comments go.
KathyDG "This program is only part time until 11:30 am. I was told the district only buses within the border of Mansfield township"
Does Hackettstown not have these programs? I thought they did but I could be wrong.
What about in home sitters?
Schools can evaluate but not diagnose. You will get further and get what you need if you have your child diagnosed. Morristown Memorial has an excellent Child Study Team. They will diagnose and make very specific recommendations. Since your child is young enough. You can request in writing for your child to be evaluated outside the school, which more then likely would be a facility that can diagnose. They do no tell you that because they do not want to pay. Unfortunately, my nephew was going into Junior year and could barely read. Took him to Morristown Memorial and paid $2000 and had him diagnosed. He had bonified ADD, Dyslexia and Dysgraphia and borderline auditory problem. I got him into Special Ed Classes and Miss Mitch the Special Ed teacher helped him tremendously. You need to know you are your child's voice. Educate yourself about the laws pertainig to IEPs and arm yourself with all schools within Warren County. I would try and gravitate toward Long Valley Schools. But again have your child diagnosed over at Morristown and they will reccomend other schools for your child. Don't mess around. I know Warren County Educational System very well and they know me. Email me if you want to chat more in detail. I know Unagst too - she should be fired!
Hve you discussed this with the child study team. Perhaps the social worker may know of an in-home day care. Have you contacted Norwescap to see if their are any providers in the area who can watch your son? Have you spoken to your employer to see if you can alter your schedule for the school year. Daycare is a problem for all working parents- special ed or otherwise. I would still enroll your child in the program since you will have problems later on if you show yourself as uncooperative. The program has to not meet his needs to show a change in placement is warranted- whether it's a part of the day or a full day is not in the law- just that it addresses the needs of the child in providing services that impact the child's ability to learn. If once the child is enrolled and it's not working you may have a better chance of change of district, assuming they can't fix what services are missing. Good luck to you and in spite of what you think, they are willing to hear you and work with you, though may not be able to get you a full day program.
concerned You may want to check out New Jersey Interdistrict Public School Choice program. You can send your child out of district to a district that is enrolled in the program. Many of the elementary schools in Hunterdon County are enrolled in this program. They will even provide transportation if you are within 20 miles of the interdistrict school or they will give you aide in lieu. Best wishes to you. http://www.nj.gov/education/choice/
Realist KathDG- it was just a possible scenario for OP, not a judgement. Don't try to read into my post please. I have 2 friends that were able to do this, it was easier on their schedule and for their children...if it's even slightly possible it might be a good option for the OP. I hadn't seen it suggested in the other posts so I suggested it. Or maybe work from home, if it's possible for OP, just trying to think of scenarios outside of school options.
...as for the cryptic comment, this is a forum, I think it's a known fact that questions are asked in an anonymous forum, so no one is surprised at that. I would have had the same suggestions for someone IRL as well.
moniesincere - if your son will be going to Mansfield Elem., then you dont live in Hackettstown and can not use their public schools. Private, yes, but not public.
Have you considered not working for a period of time while your child is young? From your post, it sounds like you and your husband are making a sufficient income, so I would suggest considering this option. The reason I ask, is that I think a lot of moms these days assume working is the only option, and don't really think seriously about the option of staying home, at least for awhile. By the time you factor in the costs of child care, transportation, and all of the other expenses related to working full time - food out, wardrobe, etc., you may find that it is actually cheaper to stay home - or at least reduce your profits to the point that you might ask, "is it worth it?"
Spence Moniesincere, I am in a similiar situation. I live in Mansfield (with a Hackettstown mailing address) and my son would be attending the afternoon session at 12:30pm. I need transportation from his daycare center (in Hackettstown) at 12 noon because unless your child attends Learning Experience you have no other preschool providers in Mansfield! Have you had any luck? I am looking for a referral of some kind that does provide transporation back and forth to the school. If anyone has any positive advice please share! Thanks
RWest My children attend Hackettstown program. There is a little boy who is bused by a private company to his daycare after the preschool gets out. You might want to call around and find out about what day care programs having private busing. You can also call taxi services and arrange for transportion as well.We also had a little girl who was picked out by a taxi as well (last year) Have you looked into having someone watch him at your home after school? Or even an in home daycare in Mansfield?
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