My husband and I want to thank Bal Swan for creating the summer
program for school-aged children in addition to your traditional
preschool programming. We have three daughters, Abigail is six years
old, Julia is four years old and Kathryn is one year old. All of our daughters have their unique strengths and challenges and Bal Swan is a
school that nurtures these differences for all children.
Our daughter Abigail, who started first grade this year, also happens to have Down syndrome and does not
have much stamina due to complications of sleep apnea. Abigail has always been fully included in the classroom and we knew we wanted an environment during the summer that also offered an inclusive model. Our 4
year old "typical" daughter Julia attends Ball Swan so we decided to try the summer program for Abigail. We
enrolled Abigail in the full day summer program at Bal Swan because she was moving from half-day kindergarten to full-day first-grade this fall. We wanted to see if Abigail could build up her stamina in the summer
program and use this as a gauge for her first-grade energy level. What Abigail achieved out of this experience was so much more.
During the class Abigail had a successful experience during a hiking in Boulder. Because of her low level of
endurance I questioned whether she would be able to walk the entire hike with her peers. When I picked
Abigail up from Bal Swan that afternoon she ran over and hugged me while jumping up and down
with excitement. ““I hiked all by myself””, she exclaimed. The joy on Abigail’’s face that afternoon is
irreplaceable. Since her victory of the Chautauqua hike, she has conquered several more hikes in Colorado
with her family.
Since starting at Bal Swan Abigail also seems to be talking in more complete sentences and talks a lot about
her experiences at school. Bal Swan afforded her the opportunity to engage and be successful in different
activities such as bowling and miniature golf (both of which she had never done). Abigail has had such a
great experience that she looks forward to going to school.
Our four-year-old daughter, Julia, is attending her second year of preschool at Bal Swan. During Julia’’s first
year of preschool, there was a girl in her classroom who used a walker. At first, Julia had a lot of questions
about the walker. After a short time, she understood the walker helped her friend go places. A couple of
months after the beginning of preschool, Julia was playing in an indoor play area and noticed another girl her
age who was using a walker. Julia said ““That girl uses a walker like my friend in preschool””. ““The walker helps
her legs go so she can play””.
The summer program was a positive experience for Abigail and the preschool program has been enriching in
many ways for Julia. Bal Swan is supporting the community and our family by helping preschool
children and school-aged children of different abilities become independent and caring individuals.
Delois and Jeremy, Current Bal Swan Children’’s Center Parents
Bal Swan Children’’s Center 1145 E. 13th Ave. Broomfield, CO 80020 303.466.6308 www.balswan.org