Daughter Accepted to Head Start

Congratulations! Head Start is a wonderful program, I used to teach there, and I loved it. It may take a few days to as much as a week for your child to adjust, so don't be alarmed if she doesn't love her first day. Chances are she will not cry all day, but will warm up after a little while and actually have some fun. To prepare her, talk to her about it, but not too much, and not too far in advance. Wait until a few days before. Tell her what will happen, what her teachers' names are. Tell her to go to them if she needs help. Explain the day. She'll play for a while, then have lunch and a nap, then have story time and then it will be time to go home. Or whatever the case may be. Try to get a copy of the schedule before school starts, so you will know what to tell her. Most importantly, make sure she knows you will be coming back for her. Keep a positive attitude, and if you get upset, don't let her see it. Talk about all the fun toys and activities she will be able to try. Don't push her to open up right away- that will come in time. Let her adjust to being away from you and in a new environment first, then encourage her to make friends. But do tell her that if she is sad to go to a teacher, and help her form a bond with a teacher so she feels comfortable with at least one person there. Here is an article about helping shy children socialize, hopefully it will help. http://www.helium.com/items/878697-developing-social-skills-in-shy-children

You may be very suprised to her going to head start. My mom ran programs for 25 years and lots of parents thought this. The teachers are very well trained and when children walk into the enviroment of toys and other children they can suprise you. I would start hyping her up on what a big girl she is and how very happy she is going to be with all her new friends. You will be getting lots of presents and pictures oh she is going to have so much fun. It is usually the parent that cries first and this causes anxieties for the children. Hold back your tears mom. Maybe spend a few moments with her when she goes in and introduce her to her new friends she will open up... don't worry about it mom, I think most of the times we have more anxieties than the children do.

I am very happy for you that she has just been accepted to Head Start! Congratulations! That must be so exciting! I don't have any kids of my own, but it might help to get her in contact with the teachers and other kids there as much as possible beforehand. Seeing new people and new places for the first time can be terrifying otherwise. And, it might be a good idea to get her familiar with what to expect when the sessions begin. I hope this helps. Sorry that I'm not the most helpful person in the world when it comes to this. I just wanted to at least offer you my congratulations. Please do let me know how it all turns out. I am very curious. :o)

That's great to hear. As a teacher who taught Reading before pursuing my artistic endevours; I'd say to read to her as much as possible to get her ready. Encourage her to be curious and she will do really well. Best wishes on her start. That's a special moment for you; I am sure.

Hi, alexsis. That is so wonderful to hear about! My oldest daughter got accepted into Head Start last week. I have already attended her Orientation too. Today, I was called to place my daughter into Head Start. She is three years old. I know how excited that you must feel. My son used to attend Head Start too. You can ask the teacher if you could sit in with her in class, just so that she can break away from the shyness. My son was shy too when he first attended Head Start. He cried when I left him there. The more that she is in school, the more that she will open up with the other students. It will not be long before she starts liking school. I hope that everything is fine with her now being that it is two years from now. Take care.