Little Oak
Kindergarten, preschool and daycare
Parents
Settling in: the first two weeks
What the first ten days look like, from both sides of the door.
Published Sep 18, 20262 min readParents
Every September and January we settle about twenty new children. Parents ask what it looks like, and the honest answer is that it looks different for every child and the same for every parent: harder on you than on them.
The first visit
You come for an hour, on a Tuesday or Thursday morning, and you stay in the room. Your child plays, or sits on your lap, or watches from the door. Nobody minds which. The teacher learns your child's name, your child learns the teacher's face, and you see what the room sounds like at ten o'clock.
The half days
Three mornings, one after the other.
- Day one: you leave for an hour and sit in the quiet room with a coffee
- Day two: two hours, and you go for a walk
- Day three: the whole morning, and you come back for lunch
If a child is not ready to be left on day one, we do day one again. There is no prize for speed.
The first full day
A full day with a nap in it. This is the day the note at six o'clock matters most, so Hannah or the room lead writes a long one: what they ate, when they slept, who they played with and what made them laugh.
If it takes longer, it takes longer. In sixteen years we have never had a child who did not settle.
What helps
- Say goodbye once, clearly, and go. Coming back for one more hug restarts the clock
- Bring something from home that smells of home
- Keep the same drop-off time for the first month
Most children settle in two weeks. Some take four, and that is fine too.
Parents
Settling in: the first two weeks
What the first ten days look like, from both sides of the door.
Published Sep 18, 20262 min readParents
Every September and January we settle about twenty new children. Parents ask what it looks like, and the honest answer is that it looks different for every child and the same for every parent: harder on you than on them.
The first visit
You come for an hour, on a Tuesday or Thursday morning, and you stay in the room. Your child plays, or sits on your lap, or watches from the door. Nobody minds which. The teacher learns your child's name, your child learns the teacher's face, and you see what the room sounds like at ten o'clock.
The half days
Three mornings, one after the other.
- Day one: you leave for an hour and sit in the quiet room with a coffee
- Day two: two hours, and you go for a walk
- Day three: the whole morning, and you come back for lunch
If a child is not ready to be left on day one, we do day one again. There is no prize for speed.
The first full day
A full day with a nap in it. This is the day the note at six o'clock matters most, so Hannah or the room lead writes a long one: what they ate, when they slept, who they played with and what made them laugh.
If it takes longer, it takes longer. In sixteen years we have never had a child who did not settle.
What helps
- Say goodbye once, clearly, and go. Coming back for one more hug restarts the clock
- Bring something from home that smells of home
- Keep the same drop-off time for the first month
Most children settle in two weeks. Some take four, and that is fine too.
Parents
Settling in: the first two weeks
What the first ten days look like, from both sides of the door.
Published Sep 18, 20262 min readParents
Every September and January we settle about twenty new children. Parents ask what it looks like, and the honest answer is that it looks different for every child and the same for every parent: harder on you than on them.
The first visit
You come for an hour, on a Tuesday or Thursday morning, and you stay in the room. Your child plays, or sits on your lap, or watches from the door. Nobody minds which. The teacher learns your child's name, your child learns the teacher's face, and you see what the room sounds like at ten o'clock.
The half days
Three mornings, one after the other.
- Day one: you leave for an hour and sit in the quiet room with a coffee
- Day two: two hours, and you go for a walk
- Day three: the whole morning, and you come back for lunch
If a child is not ready to be left on day one, we do day one again. There is no prize for speed.
The first full day
A full day with a nap in it. This is the day the note at six o'clock matters most, so Hannah or the room lead writes a long one: what they ate, when they slept, who they played with and what made them laugh.
If it takes longer, it takes longer. In sixteen years we have never had a child who did not settle.
What helps
- Say goodbye once, clearly, and go. Coming back for one more hug restarts the clock
- Bring something from home that smells of home
- Keep the same drop-off time for the first month
Most children settle in two weeks. Some take four, and that is fine too.
Come and see it
Come and see it for yourself.
Come and see it for yourself.A visit is forty minutes: the rooms, the garden, the kitchen at lunch, and all your questions. Tell us the room and the start you have in mind and we bring the right teacher.
Come and see it
Come and see it for yourself.
Come and see it for yourself.A visit is forty minutes: the rooms, the garden, the kitchen at lunch, and all your questions. Tell us the room and the start you have in mind and we bring the right teacher.
Come and see it
Come and see it for yourself.
Come and see it for yourself.A visit is forty minutes: the rooms, the garden, the kitchen at lunch, and all your questions. Tell us the room and the start you have in mind and we bring the right teacher.