The Growing Years
If you've spent time with Jack's Roadmap, you know it walks alongside you through that tender, fast first year. But the road doesn't end at the first birthday. It keeps going, into preschool mornings and first days of school, into friendships and report cards and growing up.
Carter and I didn't get to walk these years with our Jack. It's a tender thing to write, but it's also why this page matters so much to us. What we've been given instead is a village of families who are living these years right now, and who've so generously shared their stories in the hope of walking alongside you. What you'll find here is their wisdom, gathered with care and kept in one calm place for you to return to whenever you need it.
The Early Years
little kids, ages 1-6
The wagon keeps rolling. These are the years of early intervention growing into preschool, of therapies becoming routine, of watching your child become wonderfully, unmistakably themselves. One of the quieter transitions families don't see coming is the handoff from early intervention to school-based services around age three. We've gathered gentle guides on what that shift looks like, how to prepare for it, and what questions are worth asking.
The Classroom Years
big kids, ages 7-13
School becomes the center of the map for a while. This is the season of IEPs and inclusion, of friendships forming, of advocating in rooms you didn't expect to be advocating in. Families tell us the most valuable thing here is not a checklist; it is other parents who have sat in those meetings. We have collected resources on educational advocacy, building inclusive friendships, and caring for your child's health as they grow.
The Teen Years
big kids, ages 14-17
Independence starts to bloom here, and so does a child's own voice. These years bring conversations about growing up, friendship, self-advocacy, and the beginnings of looking ahead. We've gathered thoughtful resources from people who walk this season with families every day, chosen for warmth as much as usefulness.
Looking Ahead
a gentle nod toward adulthood
The road keeps going well past these pages, into a full and meaningful adult life. We don't try to map all of it here, but we do want you to know the road continues, and that there are wonderful organizations ready to walk it with your family when the time comes. You can find their stories in our blog and their work among our trusted friends below.
For the Village
the ones that love them most
Sometimes the people who most want to help are the ones standing just beside you. Grandparents, aunts and uncles, godparents, the friends who feel like family. They love your child completely, and often they're quietly wondering how to show it in the right way.
And just as your child is growing, so is your village. The questions they had in those early days look different now. The grandparent who learned the language of a new diagnosis is now cheering at a school program. The aunt who sent meals is now navigating how to talk about inclusion with her own kids. This season asks new things of the people who love you too, and they deserve their own gentle guidance for it.
This corner is for them. We've gathered warm, useful resources for the years ahead: how to keep celebrating this child at every age, how to show up in the practical, ordinary ways that mean everything, and how to grow right alongside you instead of standing on the sidelines. Loving well is mostly about following the family's lead, and we've collected resources to help with the rest.
