LAKELAND, Fla. — Polk County Schools has added a new liaison to help parents with students who have special needs.

The Exceptional Student Education (ESE) parent liaison will bridge the gap between parents and the school district, ensuring parents fully understand the specific services available for their children.

A Lakeland family, whose 5-year-old son will soon enter kindergarten, says having an expert go-between puts some of their worries to rest.

The boy, Dominic Cadavid, has been a fighter since day one.

“He was several days old here, still on the ventilator,” said his mom, Oneida, as she showed pictures of Dominic when he was days old. 

At just 16 weeks into her pregnancy, Oneida’s water broke, and after spending another 16 weeks in the hospital on strict bed rest, Dominic was born. 

“Once he was born, he stayed in the NICU for 10 weeks, and we almost lost him a few times,” she said.

But each battle, Dominic fought. “He’s had a lot of developmental issues from birth,” Oneida said.

“He’s been a struggle from the very beginning, and so now, we’re at age 5, and he has made huge achievements and has grown. I can’t even explain how good he’s done, but honestly, it has to do with all the programs that have been made available.”

Oneida says Dominic’s biggest developmental disability now is his speech. He currently attends Achievement Academy, a public charter school for children with disabilities up to age five.

She says Dominic has come a long way thanks to the programs at the Achievement Academy, but she still worries about his next major milestone — kindergarten.

“My biggest fear as a parent is, ‘How is he going to transition into the regular school system?’ Yes, they provide ESE services, but now he will be among all the other typical kids,” she said.

Trying to navigate the unknown is scarier for Oneida than Dominic, she says he’s ready for what he calls “big boy” school, but she knows he’ll need to be in ESE classes, and working with an ESE parent liaison will make a huge difference.

“There’s one contact person and that person can help navigate through the entire system, and you have just that one person that is your go-to, versus having to call 10 different people at 10 different places to see if you can get them to all work together,” said Oneida.

That helps put her mind at ease, knowing someone with Polk County Schools will be there to support Dominic all the way.