A little bit of crying…
Starting childcare and even moving rooms within a centre can be a wondrous time of joy and happiness but, especially if this is your first time using childcare, someone is probably going to cry.
It might be you, it might be your child, (it may even be both of you) but it’s all new and exciting and a bit emotional. It is absolutely developmentally appropriate and expected that your child may get upset at some time of the day, and as experienced and skilled Educators we are ready for these eventualities and have strategies that will minimise any upset.
On your first day, if your child is old enough, get them to help you pack their bag, and carry it out to the car. Be positive about how much fun they are going to have when you bring them in the door. Do what you need to do (sign the kiosk etc.) and take them to an educator. Have a quick conversation with them about your child’s morning.
Communication from Us, Lots of It!
Call us from our carpark, from your driveway, from your living room. Call us as many time as you like to check on your child. We may even send you photos of your child playing, eating or drawing to help reassure you that your child is doing well.
Every day we will talk to you at drop off and collection about how your child’s day has gone, what they have done, what they have learned. Every day we document the group’s learning in our Visual Daily Journal and it is displayed for all to see.
You are in charge!
Then, if YOU have the time and the inkling to do so, stay for a couple of minutes and play with your child. Regardless of how long you COULD spend with your child in the morning, this should only be a brief few minutes.
When YOU are ready to go, make eye contact with your child, tell them that you are going to leave now and return later on in the day. Then leave. This may be the point where your child becomes upset and this is when an Educator will intervene and assist your child to separate from you.
Making eye contact and then leaving, and not returning, is the best way to minimise the length of time that your child will take to settle. There are a variety of age appropriate techniques that we use to reassure an upset child, and it is something that we undertake on a daily basis.
It Will Get Better
In those first few days, you and your child may feel very up and down, but with your consistency in the arrival routine and the help of our skilled and experienced educators, before you know it all that will be needed is a kiss on the cheek and they will race away to their peers and educators without another thought (…and then you can cry about that).