Your toddler's first day at daycare or preschool can be an emotionally taxing
experience for both parents and the child.
This
is especially true in a case like ours, where both my wife and I work at home
and our 18-month old is an only child.
We
wanted to put him in preschool early so he could interact with children his age.
We wanted
him comfortable in a social environment among his peers; our belief was that the
ice-water "shock" of being left without his parents among strange adults
and even stranger children would be a lot less hard on him if we eased him into
at a younger age.
Two
other big factors in our decision were:
Studies
have shown childhood development is significantly helped along by the presence
of other children of the same age. All children develop at different rates, some
slower than others, but many benefit by interacting and observing their peers.
It's
nice to have a couple days out of the week where my wife and I can work uninterrupted.
We
chose to send James only two days a week, Monday and Wednesday.
He
joined the youngest class of his preschool, the 1.5 year-olds.
The
first time you drop off your toddler or older child is going to be the hardest.
If
an open house is offered, be sure to go. This is a time where the parents and
children mingle in the classroom and get to know the teachers, new environment,
and new toys.
When
we arrived for the open house, a number of kids were already there, exploring
the room and playing with all the new toys.
James
was overwhelmed by so many people and children his own size that he broke down
at first, but the crying stopped after a minute.
We
let him down and he stood by us for a while, taking it all in.
Then
we casually left him in the middle of the room, near playgym with a slide. Lo
and behold, there were no sobs or a frantic search for his mom and dad.
He
continued to stand there, looking at everyone and everything.
Here
are some tips on how we made the process easier on ourselves and James:
Talk to friends
or neighbors about various preschools and daycare. Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT
get caught up on the expensive schools that boast of being the first step to getting
your kid into an Ivy-League college. Often there are many preschools out there
that are on the same level with caring and intelligent teachers and upscale facilities.
If you get the feeling that a major chunk of the school's revenue goes to marketing,
that's something that tells you a lot about the school's priorities.
Tour
the school's facilities before you sign anything. If you're not comfortable with
something, keep looking.
Attend
the open house session to make acclimation easier on your child.
Accept
the fact the first day is going to be hard. Trust the teachers and drop your child
off and then leave. I dropped James off and then waited out of view; he stopped
crying in less than two minutes.
Finally,
to emphasize the above point: sticking around with your child during drop-off
only makes it harder for him, as well as the other children. In the first days
of school, you'll often see a domino effect of one child crying and the rest following
suit.
If
you found this article helpful, you'll want to check out the book
my wife wrote about parenting James during the first six months of his
life.
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