Our strong relationship with preschool children and families is the foundation of our program. We strive to support you and your child in every way possible, and ask you to communicate with us if your child or family has a need for which we can provide guidance and support. The preschool staff members are experienced educators and many are parents too, so we understand sensitive and complex family situations. Here are some suggestions that the staff offers for common situations:

Children are always watching and following the lead of the adults in their lives. In our experience, children are better able to demonstrate flexibility with change when that flexibility is modeled positively by their family members. Due to their age and development, we encourage you to use positive and simple language with your child whenever possible.

Separation Anxiety

Separation anxieties at the start of school are normal for both child and parent! Please be assured that if your child seems upset or cries that the staff will handle it with warmth, TLC, and understanding. Separation from a loved one becomes easier with the following suggestions:

• Take advantage of pre-enrollment visits and orientations that are designed to help you and your child become familiar with the school, classroom and teachers.

• Talk about school with your child and let them know how happy you are about the wonderful experiences they will have in preschool.

• When you do leave, we suggest a kiss and a hug along with the reassurance of your prompt return at dismissal time. Prolonged good-byes can bring tears and make the separation even more difficult.

• You are welcome to give your child a picture of you and your family to hold, put in their pocket or in their backpack/lunchbox. Sometimes just seeing this picture can be reassuring. Some children might need to bring a transitional object to hold.

• Please do not leave without making sure you say good-bye. Sometimes children become very upset if they suddenly turn around and a caregiver is not where they expect them to be.

• If you are upset and also experiencing separation anxieties, try not to let your child see you upset or crying. This is very confusing to them. “If Mom/Dad is so excited to see me come here, why is she/he crying?”

• Please be on time to pick up your child at dismissal to reduce anxiety and concern that you are not coming to get them.

• If separation continues to be problematic or stressful, we will work together to create a solution. As always, we have your child’s best interests in mind.

Visual Schedules

Teachers use visual schedules all day long in their classrooms to support children. A visual schedule can also help support a child at home, especially during busy times such as a move or another change to the family. There are many templates that can be found online for creating visual schedules. We are also happy to help you develop one.