PPP is excited to embark on our very own blog journey this year! We hope to share information with preschool families, colleagues, and anyone who draws inspiration from our Reggio-inspired, Sonoran Desert world. With the first week of school quickly approaching, we thought it fitting to begin by offering a few of our tried and true transition tips.

For many of you, this will be your child’s first time in a school setting, and it can be an incredibly emotional milestone for us moms and dads! With that in mind…

Tip #1: Have no fear, preschool is here! One of our teachers has this to say about parental confidence: “Your child is amazingly perceptive and picks up on all of your non-verbal cues. If you are happy and relaxed while dropping your child off at school, your child takes note of this. If, on the other hand, you are anxious, nervous, or hesitant, your child also sees this. Consider the way you want your child to feel about coming to school in the morning and lead the way! Your child will ‘catch’ the attitudes you exude.”

So, what exactly should this confident drop-off look like?

Tip #2: Short and sweet drop-offs are the best kind of drop-offs! At PPP, we believe strongly in the Conscious Discipline approach to social-emotional learning and use many of its strategies in our daily routines. In the morning, you will often hear something along the lines of, “Good morning, Annie and mommy! Welcome to school! We will keep Annie safe today while you are at work and we will see you at pick up. We’re going to have an amazing day together!” Follow that with a hug and a purposeful walk out the door, and you have just given your little pumpkin
a confident start to the day.

Of course, the morning goodbye is just one small part of the transition process. How you prepare your child at home has just as much of an impact on success!

Tip #3: Bring the preschool into your life at home. There are many ways to do this. Before the school year begins, you may want to create a simple picture calendar to keep handy. Especially if your child attends school just 2 or 3 times a week, this calendar will help a child become accustomed to the rhythm of their new schedule. Once school has begun, one PPP teacher suggests taking pictures of familiar locations at school (the front of the school, classroom, playground, and any other areas your child might adore). Having these pictures handy on your phone to look through when discussing school helps keep it familiar to your child on those days away.

We hope we have equipped you with a few new tools for your transition toolbox. Some of you will never need to pull out your toolbox at all, while others will need a toolshed to keep all the tools you have tried during the year! Either way, know we are here to support your child and family every step of this beautiful process!