"I'm going to . . . HEAD START!" . . . So many emotions are experienced with these words. Can you remember your first preschool experience or the first time you were separated from your family on a routine basis? Were you excited? Scared? Upset? Depressed? Happy? Nervous? Did you want to stay at home? What were the classroom buildings and rooms like? Was it familiar or unknown?

Now that your child is enrolled in Head Start, your attitude will have a profound effect on his/her feelings about starting preschool. If you show excitement and a positive, happy attitude, your child will likely be excited, positive, and happy too.

Preparing Your Child

If your child will be taking the bus to Head Start, find out the basic route and show your child. This routine, if done often, will ease your child's concerns about where home is in relation to Head Start. It's very helpful for children to be able to visualize relationships and distances between two places to encourage secure feelings. 

Visit your child's classroom and let him/her see all the fun toys and activities available to him/her. Talk about all the different areas of the room. If there is an opportunity to introduce your child to the teacher, please do so. This is a wonderful way to help your child make connections and begin relationships with the staff before the first day of school. Remember to talk with your child about the room and the teacher when you are at home.

Head Start Routine

Head Start has some basic daily routines: arrival, breakfast, child's choice time (free play), clean-up, lunch, outdoor/gross motor, small group, and going home. Learn more about the following day's routine the night before Head Start. This will help your child know what to expect. As the year goes on, it is especially important that you discuss with your child any known changes in the routine (e.g. field trips, holidays, etc.).

Establish a Home Routine

Several weeks before the beginning of Head Start, establish a routine that will work for your family during the program year. Experiment with bedtimes, wake-up times, routines for getting dressed, etc. See how long it takes for each task and try to find a routine that is relatively stress-free and smooth. A child who has a happy beginning to each day is much easier to work with and more willing to explore at Head Start.

Preparing for Separation

If you and your child have a problem separating, take time to get used to being apart. Start slowly, for short periods of time, and gradually lengthen the time away from each other to equal the time your child will be at Head Start. Always show your child when you will return on the clock and be sure to be on time and in the place your child expects you to be to encourage your child's sense of safety and security. It is important to let your child know you are leaving, but that you will be returning. Your child will have an easier time separating from you when Head Start begins if he/she understands that you will always return.

Your child will be sensitive to how you feel about separation. If you are worried about leaving him/her, discuss your feelings with your child's teacher beforehand to seek reassurance. If your child is feeling anxious or upset, let him/her know you understand that sometimes saying goodbye is hard.

Expect that there will be some separation anxiety, even in the best relationships. This anxiety may even continue if your child loves Head Start and has difficulty adjusting to schedule changes due to weekends, holidays, or vacations.

Communication with the Teacher

Think about information you want to share with the teacher to help him/her get to know your child. Also, think about goals that you would like your child to accomplish during the school year. Write this information down, along with any concerns you have. You will find this helpful when you meet with the teacher.

After Your Child Begins Head Start

Always spend time alone with your child each day and evening. Make this quality time—something he/she can always count on, no matter how busy you are. This is the perfect time for sharing of the day's events, problems, excitements, and accomplishments. Story time and an overview of the next day are nice, relaxing ways to end your child's day.

Read to your child everyday. Statistics show that children who are read to on a regular basis have an easier time learning in school. You can encourage imagination while reading and provide learning experiences related to books by writing fairy tales and/or changing endings to the stories. Continue using the library as a resource to help your child understand the connection between language and print. This is a wonderful way to help foster pre-reading skills and it's also great fun.

Planning in advance should make your child's Head Start experience as smooth and stress-free as possible for the entire family. Further participation throughout his/her Head Start year and future school years will allow everyone to enjoy this wonderful experience.