Starting school is an exciting experience for both child and parent but it can also be a difficult one. Every year is different and the first day of school is hard to predict, depending on the child, their experience, personality and comfort level of being left in a new environment. We hope that having chosen Children's Garden you will have the confidence in our staff to know that if your child is upset and needs comforting, they will respond appropriately. Our experience has proven that the longer a parent stays with their child, the harder it is for the child to say goodbye. Parents who stay in the classroom for an extended period of time are just prolonging the inevitable and are also hindering the development of a relationship between the child and teacher.

A good rule of thumb is to tell your child that you can stay and help them complete one puzzle or help them to choose an activity before you must leave. If you feel that your child will be upset, please let one of the teachers know and they will be ready to help with your goodbye.

Although it may be difficult, we ask that parents never sneak away without saying goodbye. Your child will learn to trust that when you go away you do intend to come back. Sneaking away does not permit your child to develop such trust and ultimately makes separation from you more difficult. It is also very important that once you have said goodbye that you do not come back into the classroom as your child will have to go through the whole process of saying goodbye again. This can be very difficult for some children. We can assure you that it will just take time for your child to get to know the teachers and the routine. The more that your child attends Children's Garden, the easier it will be. The teachers will provide you with lots of information on how your child is settling into the program and we are always just a phone call away if you have any questions.

We recognize that this may be a trying time for some families but ask that you have faith in our judgement and cooperate with our orientation schedule.

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