Pack everything the night before

Pack everything the night before so you are not as stressed. Create a list of everything you will need with your childcare educators during orientation and check it off with your child before bedtime the day before.

If your child is going into kindergarten, get them to pick out a special “childcare” backpack and let them pack everything with you. This will give them some sense of responsibility and help reduce tears on the first day. Having a special bag will also help create a routine where they mentally check off everything in their bag before leaving for kindergarten each day.

Ask for our leaders

During orientation, you will get to know all the childcare staff and educators and in particular our centre managers. They will help you transition into childcare on your first day and guide you to your child’s room. They will also present themselves to your child as another friendly, receptive adult that they can look for during the day which will help your child feel at ease in this new environment.

Set realistic expectations

As parents, we all want the first day to go off without a hitch but the likelihood of that is pretty slim, it is normal for both you and your child to be feeling anxious about this process. It is important to remember that it might take your child a few days to settle in, so continue to remind them why child care is fun and exciting for them, and maybe how much you wish you could go to child care instead of work.

Saying goodbye at drop off

It is extremely important to say goodbye to your child every day and not just sneak off once they are having fun. By saying goodbye, it reduces the likelihood of anxious attachments and helps them understand what is going on. One of the best ways to start the goodbye routine is when you first get to childcare, have a conversation about what their day is going to look like and what they might be doing.

By saying goodbye, you are not only helping your child adjust to the new routine but also helping yourself adjust.

Be consistent

Consistency is key to any change in the routine. One of the ways you can be consistent is by always being there at a ‘regular’ pick up time (e.g., before afternoon tea or after late snack) and dropping your child off at a similar time each morning. Other ways you can be consistent include maintaining your bedtime routine and planning extra bonding time with your child at home after childcare so they don’t miss their favourite playmate.

Along with being consistent, bringing your child into childcare consistent days during the week will also assist your child to settle in and following routine, this also allows your child to not miss out on any of the classroom’s program.

Orientation

At Precious Seeds childcare, we encourage orientation sessions for every new child that enrols. It’s important to us that we get to know you and your child and vice versa. Orientation provides parents and children the opportunity to get to know the educators, the rooms and is an introduction to the new routine.
Being a family run childcare centre we’ve been in your position and we understand your nerves and your concerns.  We want to make sure you are comfortable sending your child to Precious Seeds Early Learning Centre which is why we implemented orientation sessions for all children and have multiple channels of communication for parents so you can keep up-to-date with how your child is doing. 

Orientation also helps with separation anxiety, and its normal in your children starting childcare. Orientation sessions help ease this anxiety as they allow for children to become familiar with these new faces and develop relationships and a sense of security being left in their care.