Transitions are hard for just about anyone, but for toddlers, they can be especially hard. When it comes to daycare, the transition can be difficult for everyone involved. Imagine if everything you knew was all in one place, and after getting acclimated and comfortable there, you had to leave abruptly.
While it may be a very positive change for you and your child, they could tend to feel like the rug is being pulled right out from under them. So, what can you and your new daycare teachers do to help ease the transition?
Transitional Strategies for Toddlers
Whether you’re on transitioning to a new preschool or looking for a better infant care option, there’s going to be some bumps along the way, no matter how compliant your child is. It’s normal for a toddler or infant to become comfortable in their environment, especially if they spend five days a week somewhere. However, it is possible to make a smooth transition, with as few tears as possible (for both you and your little one).
Here are some simple steps for transitioning to a new daycare that we recommend:
- Begin discussing the change a few weeks before the transition
- Involve your child’s current daycare teachers and administrators
- Send your child to their new daycare with a transitional gift
- Plan visits to the new center
- Be understanding throughout the transition
Begin Discussing the Changes 1-2 Weeks Before the Transition
A child’s grasp on time is minimal until they’re anywhere from three to five years old, so by telling them about the impending change too early may cause a lot more anxiety and undue panic. Try introducing the topic a week or two before the move so your child has some time to get used to the idea, but also gets to make memories that’ll last with the time they have left with their favorite teachers and classmates.
Involve Your Child’s Current Daycare Teachers and Administrators
A great way to ease this transition and help your child’s new teachers out in the process is having their former infant care or daycare teachers write notes to the new ones. These notes can introduce individual quirks your child may have, techniques they employ to encourage your child to engage with the group, or even what his or her favorite toys are. A great daycare will be able to find these things out as they interact with your child more and more, but this will give them a leg up from the start. Not only will this smooth the transition even more, but it’ll also make your child even more comfortable with the change in the process.
Send Your Child to Their New Daycare with a Transitional Gift
This doesn’t necessarily need to be an expensive toy. This gift is something that reminds your child of their former daycare, friends, and teachers. It might be a good idea to see if you can find a similar lovey or stuffed animal your previous daycare had in your child’s room, then have his or her old daycare teacher give it to them on the last day. It’ll give your child something they can cherish during those anxious moments at their new daycare center.
Plan Visits to the New Center
If it’s possible, letting your toddler or preschooler visit his or her new school before their first day is an excellent transition strategy, allowing them to find things to love about the new daycare. Plus, it’ll allow them to become more comfortable with not only the school but hopefully their new teachers and administrators as well!
After all, these are the people your infant, toddler, or preschooler will be spending most of their days. Being respectful of that fact and working hard to allow them to ease into the transition is a crucial strategy for success.
Be Understanding Throughout the Transition
One thing that we encourage is easing your child into this transition and being understanding throughout the entire process. Since every child is different, the effects from a daycare transition may only be noticeable in the first few days, or sometimes weeks after.
While weeks of a transition can sound overwhelming, you should know that infants and toddlers are incredibly resilient. They will get into a new routine at their new daycare soon enough. If you can be understanding of the big feelings while treating them with respect and understanding, you can be a crucial ally for your child.
Questions to Ask Your New Daycare Center
Before you fully transition, make sure that you ask your new daycare providers a few key questions to make sure you and your child will be happy there for years to come.
A few of the questions we think are most important, especially regarding infant care and toddler care are:
- What is the child to teacher ratio in infant care rooms?
- Do you provide snacks and lunches?
- Does your daycare have any DCFS violations?
- How do you communicate with parents?
- What methods of teaching do you employ in the infant care rooms? Toddler rooms? Preschool classrooms?
Above all, making sure you and your child feel comfortable, safe, and loved at your new daycare center is key to a smooth transition for you both. If you have any other questions on transitioning to a new childcare center, let us know.