Daycare can be a wonderful experience for your child. A place they can learn, play, make new friends, and enjoy new things, daycare offers an array of benefits for young children. If you are about to transition one of your children into daycare, help them prepare for this exciting experience so the change can be a positive one.
Here at Yellow Brick Road, we are passionate about providing outstanding daycare in Plymouth for young children. We focus on healthy childhood development through games, learning, playtime, and more. We will help your child get a jump start on their future through quality daycare programs.
If your child is about to join us for daycare, use these tips to help prepare them for their transition into daycare.
Start Introducing The Idea To Them
Before you drop your kid off for their first day at childcare, make sure they have had a chance to understand what is happening. Start by talking to them about daycare, well in advance of their first day. Talk to them about what daycare is, what kind of activities they will be doing there, and about how other kids will be there as well.
If at all possible, take them by their new daycare weeks before they are actually starting in order to show them around. Introduce them to staff members so they will recognize people on their first day. Make their first outing to see the daycare a positive experience, complete with a trip to get a treat afterward.
Encourage your young child to ask you any questions or to express any worries they might have. The goal during this stage is to help them become familiar with the idea of daycare and to help them imagine what it might be like at daycare.
Be Careful You Don’t Transition Negative Energy
Many times starting daycare is actually harder for the parent than the child. Be sure you aren’t allowing your own worries or difficulties in letting go affect your child’s view of daycare. For example, if you continually pose questions to your child such as, “Are you scared about going to daycare?” or “Are you going to miss me so much?” you can cause them to start becoming worried and sad unnecessarily.
Make sure that you speak about daycare in a positive light around your young child. If you have your own worries to process, do so with another adult so you don’t influence your kid before they have a chance to experience daycare for themselves. Talk to other parents who have been through the transition and get advice from them on how to best let go.
Have Patience During The Initial Transition
Every kid is different and each child will react to their first days in childcare differently. Some kids might go through a period of crying each day you leave them while others may run to the front door with glee.
No matter how your kid reacts, understand it is normal to go through a transition period and that everything will smooth out with time. If your child cries when you leave, don’t let that deter you from daycare. It might just take a bit of time for your child to adjust to the new environment. If you are concerned, talk to the daycare staff to find out what happens after you leave. In many cases, a child will only cry for a moment or two and then happily join their friends for playtime. By returning to soothe them, you can sometimes make matters worse. Talk to those who work at the daycare about the best way you can help your child during this transition.
Keep Abreast Of How Things Are Going
Once your child is adjusting to daycare, make sure you keep up to date on how everything is going. Read over any reports teachers send home with you to find out how they are doing and talk to your kid daily about what they are learning about at daycare. Find out what friends they are making and what activities they seem to really enjoy.
By keeping abreast of how things are going, you can stay tuned in to your child’s needs. Make sure the daycare program is a good fit for your child and that there is a focus on their ongoing development.
Looking for quality daycare in Plymouth? Talk to our team at Yellow Brick Road about the programs we offer today.