The first days in a child’s new classroom are so important. They not only mark the impression children have of the classroom, but they also set the tone for all future transitions. In this first few days, parents have a chance to get to know the teachers and, hopefully, establish the basis of a relationship based on mutual trust and respect. Even though we aim to make the settling in process positive and stress-free, it always begins with anxiety, fear and worries. Not to mention that every child and family are different, so making a forecast of how they will both react is impossible.
In the week just past, my nursery has reopened and we had a bit of everything. We saw second-year children coming in smiley and confidently, a few who needed some extra comfort, new children who started exploring the environment without fear, and others who instead screamed the school down at the first sign of their parents leaving. On our side, we remained calm, accepted and acknowledged every emotion, kept honest with parents and offered our support in navigating their children’s strong feelings. Around 10 am on Friday, I looked around and saw a peaceful classroom filled with busy, engaged children who were comfortable enough to rely on their key teachers whenever in need to comfort. As I woke up today, I decided to share the steps of our settling in process and few recommendations that hopefully the teachers reading me will find useful.
the home visit
Every settling in process should start before the child has even set foot inside the nursery. Although the home visit can be for most nurseries logistically complicated to organize, it is a powerful tool to begin to establish a relationship with the family and the children. First of all, it is an opportunity to collect information about children, their likes, dislikes, habits and routines. Secondly, it gives them a chance to become familiar with your face, which later on will facilitate their first day at the nursery. Ideally, there should be more than one home visit and should involve you spending some time interacting and bonding with them in the presence of their parents.
INVITE THE PARENTS TO COME IN
Inviting the parents to be present during the first day at the nursery allows children to explore the new environment while having their secure base around. As they get to know their new teachers and peers and look around, they will be able to run back to their parents for a moment of comfort before going back again. Moreover, it allows parents to observe the classroom dynamics, seeing the teachers in action and start developing trust in our role. Finally, it gives teachers time to observe how children and parents interact and collect precious information that will help support them at best. Invite them to support the children’s initial interaction and, if necessary, suggest to step aside, looking comfortable and confident in the new environment.
TAKE It SLOWLY
The settling in process should happen slowly to avoid overwhelming the children. On the first day, invite parents and children to stay for one hour while the day after, children could stay for one hour by themselves. As days go by and assuming everything is going well, you could increase their stay by one hour until reaching their full attendance. Even though it is necessary to establish a clear settling in routine, it is also crucial to adjust the schedule according to the children’s needs. Don’t hesitate to call back parents if children won’t calm down, to either pick them up or stay with them. It would be an extremely traumatic and stressful experience for the child to be left crying for a long time, feeling abandoned and unsafe.
DROP OFF TIPS
Once the settling in process is complete, children will start coming in regularly however, tears can still happen at times. I always empathize with parents at this point because I know it is extremely hard to see their children upset and let them go. At the same time I point out that only the more confidently they behave, the more their children will feel at ease in the new environment. I recommend them to keep their goodbye short, to offer children a cuddle, tell them they love them and that they will pick them up at the end of the nursery day. Finally, I always reassure the parents that we will call them later with an update. Remember that if the parents don’t trust you, neither will the children.
What does you settling in schedules are routine looks like? How was your first week back?
