Starting child care: why it’s good to prepare for the transition
In the weeks and days before your child starts child care, it’s good to get your child and family ready for the transition.
This is a good time for:
- making sure the child care centre has all the information it needs to care for your child well
- preparing yourself and your child for the change, both practically and emotionally.
Child care is also known as early childhood education and care or early learning and care. Likewise, child care centres are sometimes called early childhood services or early learning centres. We usually talk about child care and child care centres or services in our articles.
Before your child starts child care: information to give early childhood educators
Think about what early childhood educators need to know about your child, and let them know before your child starts. This might include information about your child’s:
- sleep patterns
- temperament
- comfort items – for example, a dummy or special toy
- interests – for example, dinosaurs or space
- favourite play and learning activities – for example, puzzles, drawing or construction
- immunisation status and other health or medical issues like asthma, food allergies or food intolerances
- development and any needs related to it – for example, help with toileting
- specific family circumstances – for example, custody arrangements.
If your child has any wellbeing, health or development concerns, it’s important to tell educators about these too.
The weeks before starting child care: emotional and practical preparation
It’s a good idea to start preparing several weeks before your child’s first day at child care.
Getting familiar with the service
Ask early childhood educators about the child care service’s orientation program and get suggestions for settling your child in. Some services offer transition mornings, playgroups or playtimes for parents and children. Or you and your child might be able to visit at another time so you can get familiar with the service, the educators, and other children and parents.
Getting used to the routine
To get your child used to the child care daily routine, you can ask educators about the child care service’s daily schedule and make this part of your child’s routine at home, if this works for your child.
Services should follow babies’ personal routines. For older children, it can be good to introduce the service’s lunch, play and nap times at home. Your child might take less time to adjust to the routine when care starts.
Getting familiar with educators
In the weeks before starting, you can find out who your child’s main educator will be. If you can get a photo of this educator and talk about them by name with your child, the educator will be more familiar to your child.
Reading or telling stories
Books and stories about starting child care or making new friends can be a safe and fun way to help your child understand these new events and explore strong emotions. It’s good to include all the feelings your child might go through – for example, happiness, enjoyment, sadness, anxiety, nervousness and tiredness.
Talking positively with your child about the new environment, friends, educators and activities can help you and your child feel positive too.
The night before starting child care: practical tips
If you get practical things organised the night before, it can help you avoid a last-minute rush in the morning. This can make the first few days and weeks at child care less stressful.
Here are tips for the night before starting child care:
- Try to ensure your child eats a healthy dinner.
- Get your child into bed with enough time for a good night’s sleep. If your child doesn’t sleep well, this might affect their experience the next day, so let your child’s educators know.
- Check that all the things your child is taking to child care are labelled with your child’s name.
- Pack all the things your child needs – for example, bottles, formula, nappies, hat, spare clothes, medicines and medical record.
- Pack special comfort items if the centre allows them, like cuddly toys, blankets or books, or a family picture.
- Pack healthy food if the child care centre doesn’t provide meals.
- Wait until the morning to pack any food or drink that needs refrigeration. Pack them in an insulated container like an esky or cooler bag with a freezer pack or bottle of frozen water. And put the food or breastmilk straight into the fridge when you get to the service.
A quality child care experience can help children with disability, autistic children and children with other additional needs learn and develop well. If your child with additional needs is starting child care, an individual education and care plan, visits, meetings with educators and professional support can help them make a positive start.