Starting Childcare Soon?
Expert advice to help you prepare your child for the brave new world of early learning!
BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE
Starting childcare is a huge change for your under-five, but there’s lots you can do to normalise the early learning experience and build your child’s confidence (and hopefully, excitement) well before that first drop-off.
With the new childcare year close (but not too close), now’s a great time to start talking up the early learning experience and familiarising your little one with the place and people they’ll get to know very well!
To help you do this, we’ve spoken with Julie Smith, Centre Manager at Guardian Childcare & Education Blackburn West in Melbourne.
Guardian Blackburn West has been named the top centre in all of Australia in this year’s KindiCare Excellence Awards, so they definitely know what they’re doing, and Julie has loads of experience helping little people (and their grown-ups) prepare for childcare.
To this end, here are four things she suggests you do between now and your child’s start date:
1. Spend some quality time at your centre.
Your family would have gotten a good sense of things when you initially toured the centre, but it’s really helpful to attend at least one stay and play after your child is enrolled.
This stay and play allows your little one to experience the childcare environment in a fun way (with you as their wingperson), and it’s also a great knowledge-sharing and relationship-building opportunity for you.
While at the stay and play. you can share your child’s specific interests with the people who will be caring for them, and Julie says, “With this information in mind, your educators can ensure that there are environments your child will be interested in, and they will know how to support your child to have a sense of belonging at the service.”
Julie explains that, “Forming a strong partnership between your family and your centre also helps to establish an understanding between you and your educators when it comes to expectations and attitudes, and it provides a foundation for building on everyone’s knowledge.”
Along the way, you’ll learn your educators’ first names, so you can talk about them in a positive light with your child later on, and the more your family has to do with your centre, the more familiar it will feel.
Julie says, “At Guardian Blackburn West, each child has access to up to three stay and plays before their first day, and during their first stay and play, we create a Storypark account, and the family provides us with a photograph that will be used for the Visible Learning Locker label before their child’s first day.”
Julie’s centre also offers annual kindergarten information nights to help parents understand their three- and four-year-old kinder program, and if your centre is holding a parent info session, it’s definitely worth going along if you can.
2. Familiarise your under-five with the childcare routine.
Young children really do thrive on routine, and although your early learner will soon get into the swing of things when childcare starts, it definitely helps to know what will happen ahead of time.
Lots of centres provide ‘Rhythms of the Day’ or ‘Day in the Life’ type information, which explains how the childcare day generally runs, and you can always ask your centre for more detail around play, eating, sleeping and hygiene routines.
You can also start to incorporate a bit of childcare routine into your home routine, in readiness for your child’s transition to care.
For instance, Julie says, “You can support your child to independently serve themselves during mealtimes, help them to drink from their own water bottle and pack their own bag, and if they are older, you can support your child to dress themselves.”
Julie also suggests that you allow plenty of time for all this, “Because if a routine is unhurried at home, it will support your child in gaining a sense of belonging with their centre.”
Doing some test-runs of the new morning routine and childcare commute are also helpful when your child’s first day is fast approaching.
3. Talk about childcare in positive and engaging ways.
Your child takes a lot of cues from you, so even if you’re a bit sad or apprehensive about sending them off to early learning, it’s really important to speak positively about the new environment, friends, educators and experiences that await, and also think about how your child is feeling about the big change.
Julie says, “It can be really helpful to talk to your child about their first day, and support them to understand that you will be back to collect them at the end of the day.”
This is a good time to name-drop those educators you met at the stay and play, reminding your child that they’ll be there for them, and it also helps to show your child each educator’s photo to build familiarity.
Julie explains that, “Reading books about starting childcare, or making new friends, can also be a safe way for your child to explore strong emotions and understand new events. It’s good to include all the feelings your child might go through – for example, happiness, enjoyment, excitement, sadness, anxiety, apprehension, and tiredness.”
Some families like to count down the days till childcare starts to help their little one understand that their first day is approaching.
And it’s always good to have some other family members (hello older siblings, aunts, uncles and grandparents!) talking up the whole childcare experience, with particular mention of things your child enjoys – whether that’s sandpit play or freshly made muffins!
4. Organise your child’s belongings together.
As your child’s first day gets closer, it’s important (and fun) to choose a backpack, water bottle and anything else your little learner will need, such as a lunchbox.
Your centre will be able to tell you what you need to bring from home each day, but as a guide, Julie suggests that you pack a bag which includes:
- A full change of clothes, appropriate to the weather in case your child gets wet
- Your child’s favourite comfort item
- A jumper, in case it gets cold, and
- A drink bottle with your child’s name on it.
On the last point, it’s important to label all your child’s belongings, so that staff can easily return them if they get misplaced, and it’s also a great idea to let your under-five choose their own backpack and water bottle.
Julie says, “This will give your child a sense of achievement,” and it builds excitement around starting childcare, which is a very good feeling to have as their first day draws near.
We hope these tips are really helpful for your family, and wish you well with your childcare preparations.
And if you’re still looking for the perfect childcare place, don't worry – there’s still time to search, compare, enquire and apply, and KindiCare makes this process as easy as possible.
Good luck, and here’s to a great start for your early learner!
