The First Day at Preschool

"A garden is not for giving or taking. A garden is for all." -F. H. Burnett

FOR PARENTS: Talk with your child about whether there is a special object (blanket, toy) he or she would like to bring to school for comfort. Make sure you find out about school rules, too. The object may have to stay with personal belongings.

FOR TEACHERS: Be prepared for and accepting of transitional objects, particularly for the first weeks of school. You may want to tell parents which items are appropriate as transitional objects (for example, blankets, stuffed animals). By giving parents advance notice you can avoid awkward moments on the first day. If your program ordinarily prohibits children from bringing objects from home, ask the administrator about relaxing the policy for a short time in order to give the children a chance to get settled in the program.

REMINDERS OF HOME:

FOR PARENTS: Talk with the teacher about whether you can send a family picture to post in a special place so your child can look at it during the day.

FOR TEACHERS: Try to make space in your classroom for pictures from home. You might prepare a display at the children's eye level, or better yet, put the photos in each child's cubby or make it available in a space that's designated for each child, so he or she knows where to find the photo all day, every day.