We are going to be going through some major stuff with or baby soon staying at a hospital over an hour away , possibly relocating for 6 months more or less , we have 3 other kids two at school , is ornament possible to enroll them in home school or a different school near the hospital for the time we are there or wouldn’t they have to keep going to their current school .
18 Replies
If you were relocating then yes it would be possible. But can I ask why you can't just make the commute? I know it's an extra expense but I assume it would be cheaper than temporarily relocating and all new school uniforms etc just for 6 months. Then the kids can keep their routine and not have extra disruptions on top of the chaos that you will already be going through.
Because that’s over 4 hours a day travelling which would be really difficult on the kids and parents. They could use those hours to be with their baby in hospital not in the car driving
It would be 2-3 hours a day and the kids would not be going to hospital every day, they would be at school. Plenty of people travel that far and more daily, I'm just thinking of the kids and the possible fallout from the change of school plus all the chaos of mum or dad not being home much (which is going to happen no matter how close they are to the hospital). I was just suggesting a less stressful option :)
I was talking about travel time for the parents. After spending all that time in the car, then looking after older kids once home from school how much time would be left in the day to spend with the child in hospital.
That's part of having a sick child or family member. 6 months goes by very quickly I just find it unnecessary to create extra change. Babies are adaptable and won't know the difference between 8 hours or 10 hours spent with them.
I went to a school for 8 weeks in primary school. It wasn’t an issue. We moved state’s and were looking for permanent accomodation, we had no idea how long that would take. No harm was caused and I’m sure the siblings might find being able to visit the hospital more often helpful. Some kids see a change as an adventure.
You sound like you have never had a sick child in hospital while having others that you also have to look after.
The baby will be needing several open heart surgeries and has a high risk of not surviving
Yes it’s possible to enrol them in a new school for 6 months or less.
I think homeschooling would be extremely difficult for such a short period and while you are managing with a child in hospital. To home school you would have to write a curriculum, provide materials, a space to learn etc as you are only given guidelines to follow when you home school, plus that means supervising all the kids all day, when you need to be spending more time at the hospital.
I would relocate them for the time you baby is in hospital. I wouldn’t waste half of my day driving and missing out on being by my child’s side. The new school would be very understanding of the situation. A six month change is not going to hurt your older kids
Do you have family/friends that could help and do some drop off/pick ups some days of the week and have your school kids over night once or twice a week? And then your partner and you take in turns to dp the long trips the rest of the week? It will be a lot of juggling but I'm not sure I would want to switch their schooling up. I mean you can and they would probably adapt just fine but it's pretty massive... homeschooling wouldn't be achievable if you're in hospital with a bub though would it?
You don't mention your partner but I am assuming you have one because yo u say "we", but what is he doing for work? Is he relocating work for this time?
Yes I have a partner he will be able to take time off work possibly months but we don’t know exactly yet he may need to work some hours .
Our baby will need open heart surgeries x 2 maybe more and had a high risk of not making it through . We want to make it work for everyone , our older kids and also not leaving our very sick baby alone .
You know, I was going to give a completely different answer. But then you gave that extra detail and here is my answer - do whatever works for you and for your family. Schools will do their best to accommodate. Our friends went thru similar experience. Make every moment count. Their kids adapted really well. We are so thankful that they had a positive outcome and their little one is thriving 5 years on. Their kids hold no grudges about a slight disruption to their lives all those years back.
Do what works for you and your family. I wish you all the best. You can definitely enrol them in a new school of that’s what you decide is best for everyone.
Will you keep your house and just rent another closer to hospital or are you renting already so have to completely give up your house? If you will still have your current home you can probably avoid changing schools. Whenever they can't be at school ask for work for them to do away. I did this when my son had to have 6 weeks off school. Obviously the school needs a heads up and I'm sure they will be very accommodating when they know what's going on. They can go to school when Dad needs to go back to work or if you're lucky enough to get family to help you.
I assume you will be going to a children’s hospital for the surgery. Does the hospital have a school? It may be possible that children can attend the hospital school if they have a sibling who is an inpatient. It might be worth giving them a call. It would certainly save you the expense of having to buy uniforms that will only be needed for six months.
Given the gravity of the situation, you could even ditch school.
If that takes the pressure off, do it.
If you can all be a family, supporting each other, there’s no price on that.
I wish you so much love and hope xxxx
For me, given the severity of baby's surgeries, I would definitely relocate and put the kids in a school close to the hospital. I am sure they will want to visit their sibling as much as they are able to. I would want to keep the family together as much as possible.
Children are resilient and they will adapt. It will be so much easier on you and dad to have your family together