Anders Needs a One on One Aide

We are reaching out for a little help from our friends because this amazing, joyful, zaney boy who brings love, happiness and the best hugs ever to our little family (and really to anyone who knows him) needs a little extra support during his days at preschool.  Anders has Down Syndrome and because of this he needs a lot of help remembering how to keep himself safe, how to interact with his friends (since he isn't talking yet) and how to navigate self care tasks (dressing, toileting, etc) that most parents of 4 year olds take for granted.  Anders is blessed to have the most supportive, intellegant, loving, social justice minded young woman working side by side with him through his days, to support him in learning new skills, communicating with his friends and accessing all of the same activities that his peers can more easily navigate.  The preschool and our family are struggling to financially support her position because our school district does not agree that Anders needs a 1 to 1 aide and will not financially contribute to the preschool to provide her with the compensation she deserves.  We would forever be grateful for anything you can do to help Anders stay in preschool, especially this one that values play, creative self- expression, social responsibility, mutual respect, community involvement and teamwork.  This is Anders' second year (last year he qualified for a grant that we did not receive this year) and he has grown leaps and bounds in a setting where he is challenged every minute to reach his potential in all areas of development.  We are lucky to have such a rich resource for all three of our kiddos and we would hate to see Anders lose out on this opportunity because we are not able to financially support his having an aide.  Thanks so much for considering and please feel no obligation but share this with your friends if you can!