Helping Your Child Have A Smooth Start To Preschool
Posted on: 31 August 2018
A child's experience with starting preschool is a formative experience. Ensuring that this is a smooth experience should be a major goal. Unfortunately, parents that are enrolling their first child in preschool may not know what they should do to keep their child's experience enrolling in preschool as positive as possible.
Consider The Personality Needs Of Your Child
Finding a preschool that has impressive credentials can become a primary objective for parents. Sadly, focusing only on the academic expertise of the school and the credentials of the teachers can lead to overlooking the personality of your child. However, it can be important to make sure that your child will be able to be happy and adjusted to the preschool. For example, if your child has behavioral problems or other unique issues, it is important to verify that the preschool will be able to accommodate these needs.
Have Your Child Medically Evaluated
A comprehensive medical evaluation and vaccinations is an important safety precaution when enrolling your child in a preschool. For many children, this will be the first time that they are around many other children their age. Not surprisingly, this can make the spread of germs easy. Vaccinations will help to protect your child against disease from these germs, and a medical evaluation will help to identify any potential medical issues the child may experience. If your child has special needs, many preschools will require written care instructions from the child's doctor. Many doctor's offices will be able to fax these instructions to the preschool so that you can avoid needing to make a trip to the clinic. Without these instructions, it may be exceedingly difficult for the staff to provide the right type of care for the child.
Be Prepared To Provide Additional Support
The first several days of preschool can be very emotionally trying for your child. In fact, many children may find this experience to be nearly overwhelming. To help keep your child positive and engaged in preschool, you should be prepared to provide additional emotional support and reinforcement during this period. For example, you should make it a point to talk to your child about their preschool experience so they can express any doubts or stress they may feel. Also, additional play time can be useful for helping your child to relax and let out some of the nervous energy they may have. The exact type of reinforcement and support that works best will depend on your child's personality. Considering this need before your child starts preschool will allow you to be prepared when enrollment arrives.
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