MY First day of School

We Are Here To Help You Get Through This !

Sending your child to pre-school can be a daunting experience for both you and your child. Our team at Creative Academy acknowledges this and has a few guidelines for parents in order to make the first few days of school run as smoothly as possible.

Getting Started

Mentally prepare your child for the idea of school about one week before they are due to start. Talk positively about what happens at school and if possible find out the name of the teacher who will be teaching your child. When you are looking for a school it is always a good idea to allow your child to go with for the viewing. This will give you a good indication of whether or not your child is comfortable with the environment. Your child not wanting to leave after the visit is ALWAYS a good sign.

Make sure you as the parent, are well informed about everything pertaining to your child before their first day. This will avoid you having to clarify any uncertainties on day one and will free you up for more time to get your child settled in their class. Plan your morning the night before! Have your child’s school bag packed, ensure extramural clothing is prepared and/or any other items the school has requested you to bring. Leave these items at the door, ready to be loaded in the car, hassle free.

Ensure that you make provision for sufficient time to drop your child off at school, i.e. factor in 10-15 minutes extra for traffic or situations that could cause upsets in the car.

Remember that children are very intuitive! If you, the parent, are feeling overwhelmed or anxious, your child will feel the same.

Upon Arrival

Hold your child by the hand and walk into the classroom.

Allow them time to process everything that is happening around them.

Give the class teacher time to introduce herself. Allow the teacher to give your child an ‘induction’ of the room and facilities, while staying close by.

Ask your child what they want to play with and take them to the activity. If they do not respond, take them to an activity that you know they would enjoy.

Get down to their level, play with them for five minutes whilst telling them that they will stay at school for the day. Inform them of who will be collecting them later.

When You Leave

Make sure you are emotionally intact . If you have to, take a deep breath, count to three, then go down to your child’s level and tell them that you are going to work. Remind them of who will be collecting them in the afternoon and, wherever possible, ensure that is the person collecting them. Should the person change throughout the day, notify the office and we will prepare the child for who will be collecting them.

ALWAYS give them a hug and a kiss and tell them you will see them later, then stand up and leave the room.

Should your child cry or cling to you, allow the teacher to take control of the situation. Remember she has certain techniques to distract your child and knows how to get them involved in the activities available. Avoid going back into the class or ‘spying’ through the window. By doing this you run the risk of your child seeing you and getting upset all over again.

When You Return

Be on time to collect your child.

Show your child that you are happy to see them and that you cannot wait to hear about their day.

Encourage your child to say goodbye to the teacher and their classmates and that they look forward to seeing them the following day.

On average, it takes a child who is new to a school environment, about two weeks to settle in. Some children adapt sooner than others and it is important not to compare them to other children, not even to their own siblings.

Each child is unique and will settle in at their own pace. You may find that your child is 100% fine for the first day and all the excitement overrides the anxiety but then day two and three they start feeling unsettled. In this case you will need to consistently apply the above- mentioned guidelines to help your child get past this stage.

In General

Teary and tantrum-filled goodbyes are a perfectly normal part of childhood development. Trust in your initial decision that you have chosen the right pre-school and that your child will settle. Find peace in knowing that your child will generally settle down within ten minutes after you leave. If it reaches a point where you are concerned about your child’s separation anxiety, our team at Creative Academy will call you to discuss the way forward.
Feel free to call the office as many times as you need to until you feel comfortable that your child has calmed down.
Remember we are mommies too and can relate to how you are feeling.Our promise to our parents is that we will never let a child be traumatized at school. If we feel that a child is not settling in a realistic amount of time, we will be the first to notify the parents.
We are here to develop sound, trust relationships with our families and our common goal is to provide the best for our children.

We Are Here To Help You Get Through This !