How to Prepare Your Child for Daycare: A Parent’s Complete Guide

Tips for Supporting Your Child

Review our tips for supporting your child as they prepare for entering daycare for the first time or as they transition into a new daycare or child care setting!

• Talk to Your Child

  

While this may sound obvious, talking with your child can help them understand their new routine. Explain to your child,in simple words, where they will go and what they will do at their new child care center. Talk about how they will meet new children and participate in fun activities. Be sure to reassure them that you will come back at the end of the day to take them home.

• Create a Morning Routine

Routines help children feel in control of their surroundings, which eases anxiety. Create a morning routine so your infant or toddler knows what to expect before going to the child care center. Learn if the center provides breakfast, so you know whether or not your child needs to eat at home.

• Develop a Goodbye Ritual

Create a goodbye ritual so that your infant or toddler starts feeling comfortable with their caregiver when you leave. Your ritual could be a hug, a high five or playing together with a toy before you leave. Whatever activity you choose, make sure you talk with your child about what’s happening and don’t rush the process. Once your child gets used to the goodbye ritual, they may start regulating their emotions better and calming down more easily when you go. This may also help with lowering their chances of separation anxiety.

• Bring a Transitional Object

Your child may feel more at ease in a new environment with an object that reminds them of home. This could be a laminated photo of your family or a stuffed animal that your child enjoys. The child can hold the object during the day as a reminder that this new environment is temporary and that you will come back to take them home.

Tips for Working with Your Teacher or Caregiver

While you are your child’s first teacher, building a strong relationship with your child’s caregiver can help your child feel less anxious and more supported while at daycare. See our top tips on how to work with your teacher to prepare your child for a smooth transition into daycare!

• Start By Building a Relationship With the Caregiver

If you’re able, before your child’s first day start working towards building a relationship with your child’s teacher or caregiver. Your young child may not be able to talk, but they can observe your actions. They’ll form their opinion of the caregiver based on your reactions.

Once your child starts going to the center, make time each day to talk with your caregiver to help continue building a strong relationship.

• Share Information About Your Child

Talk with your child’s caregiver about your child’s cues, likes, dislikes and their general temperament. You can also share how they like to be fed, soothed and put to sleep.

Let the caregiver know what developmental skills you’d like your child to learn. You can also ask for daily updates about your child’s progress. Your tips will help the caregiver better care for your child without having to guess which methods to try.

• Ask What You Can Do at Home

To support your child’s learning progress, ask which school readiness skills the children will focus on each day and what similar activities you can try together at home.

The opposite works as well: you can share details about the activities you’re doing at home and ask whether the teacher could try something similar in the classroom.

• Share Your Contact Information

Let the caregiver know if it’s best to reach you by phone or email and share that contact information.

Final Items Checklist

While there are a lot of ways you can prep your child for their transition into a daycare setting, we do recommend doing a final check with your child care center to confirm some key items, including:

• Medical Requirements

Find out from the school or center what doctor or dentist appointments must be completed or scheduled before the first day.

• Changes of Clothes

It’s a good idea to see if you should plan on bringing a change of clothes for your infant or toddler.  There may be a need if there are plans for them to play in water, finger paint, or do another activity that may be messier than usual.

• Diapers or Formula

Ask the center if you need to bring diapers or formula for your child.