It’s back to school season!

For most families, this means shopping, finding last year’s backpack, adjusting bedtimes, and trying to get everyone back into a routine.

But for families raising children with disabilities in China, “back to school” can mean something very different.

For some families we serve, this new school year marks a major transition.

Some children are entering a school for children with special needs for the first time, after struggling to keep up with their peers in a mainstream classroom.

Others have experienced misunderstanding or exclusion at school.

And some parents watch other children in their community head back to class knowing that their own child may never be able to attend school independently.

For children with special needs, school is about much more than academics.

In fact, during summer break, children with special needs often regress as they lose the stable support that school gives.

School often gives children the daily therapy, structure, practice, and support they need to keep learning and growing.

Back-to-school can also bring about a lot of different emotions: excitement, worry, anticipation, and maybe even relief. The pressure on parents to guide their child through the educational system is great.

That’s why our family care specialists work intentionally with each family to help their child get the specific education and therapy they need.

Because every child is unique, and each family’s needs are different.

When children have access to consistent therapy and education, they have more opportunities to practice the skills they are developing every day.

And when children have the support they need to grow, their parents and caregivers have more room to work, rest, care for their families, and look toward the future.

As a new school year begins, we celebrate every child who is heading back to the classroom, back to therapy, and back to the routines that help them grow.

Thank you for journeying alongside these families in each and every season.