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It's time for parents to buy school supplies! To some kids, that's awesome. To to other kids, they still need another month or two and to others, it is very scary. To some child care providers, there are mix emotions. Yes, we want our child care kids to grow up and reach their fullest potential but we are going to miss them a lot when they leave child care. We held them as little babies, we watch them take their first step and say their first words and now they are moving on to pre-school or kindergarten.
How do child care providers channel those emotions? First, it is just fine to have those emotions. Child care kids in full-time programs spend most of their waking hours with child care providers. So there are definitely going to be strong connections. Think of ways where you can give kids who are leaving your child care good memories.
-A scrapbook can be a good start. Include pictures of first days, first time eating solid food, crawling, doodling, arts and crafts and whatever memoirs you may have about the kids who are leaving.
-Give that kid their favorite book. Most kids have a favorite book that they want read over and over again. You can attach a picture of all the kids in child care or day care class (with parents consent, of course). You can also write in the cover of that book, a career that the kid has shared with you about what they want to do when they grow up.
-A picture of the child care provider and that particular kid who is leaving, can be a great gift attached to a homemade card.
-Compile all the videos you have made with that particular kid and send it to the family as a gift.
Finally, give those kids positive vibes to send them into the world. You have worked hard with them for months or years on so many topics from saying good morning, to not talking with food in their mouths, to using inside voices, to saying sorry when they hurt someone, to being kind, to saying the alphabet and numbers, to spelling their names. You know you have invested lots of love, time, and care into the kids, so feel good that a piece of you will be with them onto their next journey in life.
