Accommodation

Adapting to the new environment and separating from parents for a while can be a process with a lot of emotional charge. Both for the child and for the parents. Every child / individual is unique. Every child has their own pace of development, their own personality and their own tolerance for change. During this time, your child will need emotional support and time to be able to go through this process of adapting to the new environment.

 The educators in the class will come to support this process and will provide you the necessary information after observing the children, in order to make this process gentle, according to the needs of each child. Your help will be needed in making the transfer of trust and starting a relationship with your child.

ACCOMMODATION IN THE FIRST WEEK

It is advisable to give your child details about the beginning of the school year only a day or two before, in a calm and concise way, explaining what is expected of him. Talk to the children in general terms about the activities they will do at kindergarten and remind them which is the routine, depending on the schedule established together with the educator. When children know what is going to happen to them, they will feel safe and the possibility of anticipating events will give them more time to prepare emotionally.

ACCOMMODATION PERIOD FOR CHILDREN AGED 3 TO 6 YEARS

On the first day, the child comes to visit, accompanied by his parents and spends some time outside,  playing in the yard. The next day, the child will start to spend time in class, so that on the third day, to increase the time spent in class  and to continue with the time spent outside, without taking the lunch at kindergarten for the moment. 

Depending on the adaptation from the previous days, in the following days the time spent in class increases and, on the recommendation of the educator, the child can start to stay at lunch as well, and then, full-time (sleeping time and afterschool included). 

If during the day you are eager to know how your child is doing in his first days at kindergarten, you can make a phone call. Make sure you come in time to take the child home, because at the end of the day , he may feel scared again.

It is very important for the child to feel that he is safe and he isn’t forgotten. In the first days, you could even come earlier to take him home, so that he will feel more easily the certainty that you are coming back for him. A parting routine will help the child feel safe faster.

Before bringing your children to kindergarten, remind them how the day will go and assure them that you will come to take them home. When you come to take them home, avoid asking questions that are based on negative aspects such as: Did you miss me ?, Have you been sad all day? Instead of these formulations, you can ask them: How was it today? or Do you want to show me the class?

 

Remember that while for your family this experience may be the first of this kind, our staff has years of experience in solving the problem of separation from the family. Many of us have experienced these feelings ourselves and we know that it is difficult at first. Feel free to talk to the teachers or principals about your concerns, especially if things don't get better after the first few days. Remember that some children may find it harder to adjust than others.

 

Do not be discouraged if your child does not tell you in detail what he does at school, because most of the time he participates in several activities during the day and cannot remember them all. Another thing you should not forget is that we are mainly concerned with the learning process and not necessarily the product. Much of the knowledge the child has acquired is still difficult to express. Most of the time, it takes patience and trust from the parents regarding the coming to the surface of the knowledge and skills acquired by the child in a Montessori environment.