Parent Resources
Welcome to the Discovery Preschool Family
It is our pleasure to have your family join us and we are busy preparing the classroom to welcome your child.
We would like to offer you up to 3 complimentary visits in your child’s classroom to begin to familiarize your family with our routines and schedules. Each visit is accompanied by a parent or guardian and we invite you to relax in the school while the visit is in progress. The visits start after 9:00am and we ask that we have some flexibility in response to the child’s reactions in the class. Patience and support is the key.
We also advise that you do not peek into the classroom (or do so if the child cannot see you). Part of the transition is that after you drop off, the next time the child sees you, they go home. It is less confusing for children when we do it this way.
1st Visit – is approximately 1 hour in length and you can spend about 15 minutes in the class with your child to meet the teachers and drop off a few items that they need for school. Then step out for the remainder of the time and let the teachers work their magic. Please visit the office prepared to submit cheques and sign any forms necessary to complete your registration with us.
2nd Visit – is about 1 ½ hours and a quicker drop off is helpful to prepare the child for a more typical drop off. Please come prepared with a book or laptop to keep yourself busy while the second visit takes place.
3rd Visit – is about 2.5 hours and can include lunch if your child wants to stay.
First Day Jitters: On your first start day, we ask that the day be shortened with a pickup of no later than 3:30-4:00. At this point in the day, parents are arriving and children tend to become upset at this point. They can become anxious as other children’s parents appear. This will soon pass, but we try to make every effort to relieve anxiety as they build trust in us. Leaving the school happy provides a smoother transition for the next day drop off.
We invite you to call once or twice during the day to see how your child is doing. We expect that this will happen and we would love to give you an update on your child’s progress.
Tears! As your child begins in the classroom, we expect that some tears will happen. This is normal for the first few weeks of school and they will diminish quickly with a few tried and true strategies:
- Be Brave! Children can sense when you are stressed so save your tears for the hallway or office. We will help out in any way we can.
- Keep drop off time positive, short and sweet. Prolonging your inevitable exit will only support the tears because the child knows it will delay your leave.
- You will receive some pictures of your child in the routine of the day. Talk about them during the course of the evening.
- Bring in a family picture or something that comforts your child. This can help in times of tears.
Most of all, we know when the child is consolable or extremely distraught. We will keep open communication and help make these transitions smooth. We promise to call if we feel that your child needs to be picked up for the day.
