Are you ready for summer and a totally different schedule? Ready, or not, here it comes! As my kids headed off to their last day of school this morning, we talked out their mixed feelings. Relieved to have made it through a doozy of a year. A little bit sad to lose the structure and support of what is familiar and fun. Already missing the friends they might not see all summer due to different work, camp and travel schedules. But excited about all the fun summer things we can do now that school doesn’t occupy the lion’s share of our time. We are a family that does well with structure, so even though we love summer adventures, changing schedules usually throws us for a loop. We know we need to put on our flexible thinking caps to avoid meltdowns.
Changes to clinic speech schedule
At the clinic, we’re in the midst of a major speech schedule overhaul. The plan is to move existing clients into new therapy times by the end of this week. For most of our speech clients, we are moving the start time forward or back 15 minutes so that all speech appointments will start on the hour and half hour. Jenny and other members of our company’s leadership team are on hand to discuss the change, why we’re doing it, and how it might impact our families.
Summer camps and groups
Changing our speech schedule will allow us to develop and offer more group therapy options for kids who are ready to move their skills beyond the individual therapy model. If you haven’t already looked into our summer camps and groups, please do, as they fill up fast. Our next Parents’ Night Out is on Friday, June 28, from 5-8 pm. This camp is for kids ages 7-14, and the theme is summer plans.
Family-friendly activities that are free!
Looking for fun things to do with your kids around town? PDX Parent publishes great listings of local, free and family-friendly events and activities. Check out their list of June options!
Vacations and subs
Summer is also a time when many of us travel, so let us know your plans. For those who will be gone for longer than 3 weeks, let’s talk about rescheduling options or taking a therapy break. Keep in mind many of our clinicians also take time to practice work/life balance and spend time with family and friends over summer. We know not every child will do well with a substitute clinician, but we like to give you that option and believe there are many benefits to having a different set of eyes and ears working with your child if your regular clinician is out for a day or two.
Happy summer, y’all!