The new school year is quickly approaching! It’s time for many families to begin planning for their little one to enroll in preschool. This transition may feel especially hard this year due to the pandemic. Preschool is going to look different to protect children, families, and staff. While schools’ health and safety practices have changed, our goal to create a positive environment where your child will thrive hasn’t.
Health & Safety
The well-being and safety of the children, families, and staff that we serve has always been our highest priority. Throughout this pandemic, we have been paying close attention to the guidelines and recommendations provided by our local Public Health Department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevent, and the World Health Organization.
When your child attends Kids’ R Kids, you can expect:
Increased Sanitation – All surfaces in our facility are disinfected multiple times a day, before and after use.
Staff Wearing Masks – All of our teachers and staff wear masks.
Frequent Handwashing – Teachers practice frequent hand washing and ensure that the children also follow handwashing procedures
Limited Contact – No unplanned, outside visitors are allowed on the premises.
Keyless Entry – All locked doors have keyless entry at all times.
While these safety precautions may be different, Kids’ R Kids methodology has not changed. We still have a whole-child approach to early childhood education. Our goal is to strengthen and encourage every child in our care in an environment that helps them to grow emotionally, intellectually, socially, and physically.
How to Choose a VPK program
Are you wondering if Kids ‘R Kids offers the best voluntary prekindergarten (VPK) program for your child? We know that choosing a VPK program for the first time can be overwhelming! That’s why we encourage parents to contact us to learn more about our learning center and teachers.
There are many ways to evaluate the quality of a preschool program for your child. Suzanne Bouffard, a writer for the Harvard Graduate School of Education and researcher focused on child development and education, has shared five key things to look for:
Teachers and staff who communicate in nurturing and encouraging ways to children.
“Early childhood learning is built on trusting relationships, and that means that good teachers do not yell, cluck their tongues, or roll their eyes at children. Positive relationships can be hard to define, but they are easy to see.”
Discipline for inappropriate behavior that focuses on helping children learn instead of punishing them.
“All preschoolers are developing social and emotional skills and self-regulation, like how to share toys and express frustration in words. Good teachers build those skills with consistent routines (preferably posted on the wall) and tools…”
A fun and joyful classroom where play is the primary vehicle for learning.
“Play is the vehicle through which young children learn everything from vocabulary to math to self-control. That doesn’t mean classrooms should be a free-for-all. Teachers should continually provide new activities and challenges, ask thought-provoking questions, and nudge children to think deeper.”
A classroom routine and schedule that allows children to be active.
“Children are active. They are not expected to sit for more than 15-20 minutes at a time, and they get plenty of outdoor time. They are also active contributors to the classroom; they get to choose their activities, and their work covers the walls.”
Happy staff that is supported by the school.
“Working with young children is a tough job, and teachers are more successful when they receive regular professional development and planning time, not to mention a livable wage and benefits like health insurance and paid time off. Don’t be afraid to ask the director about these factors and rates of teacher turnover. (Consistently high turnover can be a warning sign of systemic problems.)”
You can also use this helpful Family Checklist for Evaluating VPK Programs from the Early Learning Coalition.
Preparing your Child to Transition from Home to School
The last two weeks before preschool are especially important to prepare you and your toddler for your new routine.
You can make the transition easier by:
- Taking your toddler with you to pick out their backpack and other school supplies. This is a great time to talk to them about their new school routine and foster excitement.
- Creating a calendar to countdown until their first day and crossing off each day. This can make it feel like an exciting new transition and create an opportunity to discuss any of their fears or worries.
- Transitioning to their new school-time bedtime schedule early, so they have a couple of weeks to adjust to it.
- Figuring out who will pick them up and drop them off. Once you’ve worked it out, be sure to talk to them about it. You can also use this conversation to come up with a good-bye routine.
If you’d like more tips on how to help your toddler’s transition from home to school, check out Zero to Three’s Preschool Prep! It’s full of helpful advice to guide you from planning through the first day of school.
Your child’s emotional and intellectual well-being is as important as their safety. We strive to create a learning environment where they can flourish in all three areas. We hope that you and your children will find the right fit at Kids ‘ R Kids Avalon Park. You can learn more about our VPK program by clicking here!