- Making the transition to child care
Child care is a new environment for your child, with new people and new routines.
Starting slowly is a key way to ease the transition to this new environment for your child. For example, if it works for your family, you could start with short days and stay at child care with your child. Then you could leave your child for short periods, building up to leaving your child for a whole day.
It’s also important to talk to your child’s early childhood educators about the best way to help your child with the transition. The educators have a lot of experience with settling young children into child care, and they’ll be able to suggest options for your child and your family.
- Get organised early- Taking care of practical things like labelling personal belongings and packing your Childs bag the night before will reduce the stress of trying to get out the door. This means you can focus on your child and how they’re feeling on child care mornings. If your morning at home is calm, you’re both more likely to be calm when you say goodbye.
- Allow plenty of down time at home- Child care is very stimulating. Your child will probably be tired and need recovery time at home. This might mean an earlier bedtime or longer naps, or maybe just quiet play in a familiar environment.
- Say goodbye– When it’s time to go, let your child know you’re going and when you’ll be back. Give your child a hug and a kiss, say goodbye to your child’s educator and leave promptly. This makes it easier for your child to settle down with their educator.
- Build a relationship with your child’s early childhood educators and carers– Your child is more likely to feel secure in the new child care setting if they see that you have good relationship with early childhood educators If your child can see that you trust their educator, your child is more likely to trust the educator too.
You can find more information about settling your child into child care at the link below.
https://raisingchildren.net.au/grown-ups/work-child-care/planning-starting-child-care/care-planning-settling