TRANSITIONING TO TRANSITIONAL PRESCHOOL
HOW WE SET YOUR CHILD UP FOR SUCCESS
Starting Transitional Preschool is an exciting step for your 2-year-old and your whole family. If your child has been in daycare or spent a lot of time with a babysitter, moving into Transitional Preschool may feel like a simple shift to a new environment. However, if your child has been home with you since birth, you may have been looking forward to this moment with a mix of eager anticipation and trepidation, wondering how the transition will go.
Wherever your child lands on this spectrum of readiness to begin Transitional Preschool, we’ve got you. Our experienced team knows exactly how to set your child up for success—establishing the foundation to thrive not only within our 2-year-old classroom, but in all subsequent preschool years!
WHAT SEPARATING FROM PARENTS LOOKS LIKE AT AGE 2
Ease of separation from a primary caregiver varies greatly at age 2—and at Harmony, we’ve seen it all.
While some children entering Transitional Preschool quickly find their way toward confident independence and readily bond with their teachers, others experience extended grief, shedding tears with each goodbye, and very gradually form attachments to teachers.
The look, feel, and duration of this process is shaped by a combination of your child’s unique temperament and experience with caregivers both in- and out-of-home.
Parallel to all this, as your child grows comfortable separating from you, he or she is also developing readiness to engage socially with peers. Some children connect with peers right away, while others need extended time building trust with teachers before they are ready to socialize with new friends.
YOUR CHILD’S TRANSITION TO TRANSITIONAL PRESCHOOL: WHAT TO EXPECT
Our Transitional Preschool teachers approach each child’s individual home-to-Harmony transition with warmth and empathy. Though there can be an understandably natural urge to distract children from any sadness of separation from you, we instead validate their feelings while offering our calm, consistent presence.
Walking alongside children through this change without rushing their readiness fosters strong relationships and their deep sense of trust in us—which pays forward huge dividends. It teaches them that Transitional Preschool is a safe, happy, fun space…which sets the stage for them to expect that Preschool and subsequent years will be the same. It allows their young nervous systems to calm, anticipate interesting experiences in their school community, and in so doing, it sets the stage for their readiness to learn today, tomorrow, and long into the future.
Understanding all this, we have intentionally structured our Transitional Preschool to meet children where they are—allowing them to transition to their full schedule when both families and teachers agree that each child is ready. We stay in close contact with you throughout this process, as we realize families rely on their children’s time at Harmony to work and get all manner of life list items checked off!
For some children, transitioning to their full schedule could happen right away; for others, the process could take some weeks. While your child’s individual timing will be based on our careful, collective observations of his or her temperament, ability to separate successfully, and overall stamina to make it through the day, below is an outline of how we plan to begin his or her school year. As always, we will work with you to ensure that your child’s entry path fits your family’s needs.
CHILDREN WITH PREVIOUS DAYCARE OR PRESCHOOL EXPERIENCE
If your child has prior experience in a daycare setting or attended the Transitional Preschool Program during the previous school year, they should be ready to stay for their full scheduled time (Half, Full, or Extended Day).
CHILDREN WHO ATTENDED HARMONY SUMMER SESSIONS
Toddlers who join us for Summer Sessions prior to the school year complete their transition to the Half-Day dismissal of 11:35 am (or 11:45 am, depending on the classroom). If your child is enrolled for a Full or Extended Day, we will create a personalized transition plan to support your individual needs.
CHILDREN BRAND NEW TO HARMONY
Children who are brand new to Harmony typically find success with the gentlest transition—beginning the year with a 90-minute Transitional Preschool day, followed by dismissal at either 9:50 am or 10:00 am, depending on their classrooms. Children who are deeply missing their parents or home environment may require an even shorter initial day at Harmony, based on individual needs. After the first day, we will slowly increase your child's time at Harmony until they reach their full schedule (Half, Full, or Extended Day).
HOW LONG DOES THE TRANSITION TAKE?
Over the years, we have noticed that the more days per week a child is enrolled in Transitional Preschool, the more quickly they become comfortable with their new routine.
Children who are with us 5 days a week typically transition the fastest, while those who are here 3 days a week take a little more time, and those who join us 2 days a week take the longest to acclimate. This makes so much sense—these tiny humans are adjusting to a new environment with new people and a new sequence of events…the more variation there is between their Harmony days and home days, the longer it can take them to fully adjust.
Whether your child adapts to their Harmony routine right away, in a few days, or in several weeks, we promise you, each child gets there, and it is always worth our combined time, effort, patience, and TLC to ensure they are fully comfortable to set them on a path of joyful transitions throughout their preschool years and beyond!
We’d love to see any Harmony-inspired moments you capture along your child’s early years journey. Tag us (@HarmonyNLC) on Facebook and Instagram, and use the hashtags #HarmonyNaturalLearningCenter #TheHarmonyApproach #HarmonyNLC
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Interested in introducing more of The Harmony Approach to your child at home? Check out Harmony at Home today (FREE activities available).