Discussions

My oldest child will be starting kindergarten soon. Our catchment school has an all day every day kindergarten program. I'm super worried about how my child will cope. I'm a stay at home mom, so I was hoping he would go half days to do a slow adjustment to school but I guess that won't be the case.  
 
Does anyone have any advice on how to prepare him (and me)? Or just stories about how your kid coped?

I had my child in daycare for a couple years before starting kindergarten. To her there was absolutely zero difference between the two except having to learn new names. Kids are adaptable and will very quickly adjust to a new situation. Honestly, the biggest problem is the parents. Yes, your child may cry on the first and second days, but they are fine and will stop crying the moment you leave. Please do not be the parent who stays the whole day in the classroom or hallway... As a teacher, I can tell you that actually makes things worse. Make this your new normal because (unless you plan on homeschooling) it will be for many many years.

putting him in nursery school / day care a few days a week now until June if he isn't already.

I’m a firm believer in all day kindergarten and this is coming from my background in the field of education. Your child will easily adjust and the benefits of full day instruction is amazing. They will love it and shouldn’t take very long to adjust. I second the reader who said try to put in daycare for a couple days a week come June. It’ll help the adjustment. As well, they will have a meeting for new kindergarten parents at some point. Make sure you go so you can ask any questions you have. It might be different than what we had in Kindergarten but your child is lucky to be getting full time kindergarten.

If your child is not ready for all day school, there is no reason to enroll him.kindergarten is NOT MANDATORY. But if your child is not ready, please begin to do preschool or other group programming to encourage school readiness, or look for other kindergarten options through schools of choice or see what the catchment school has for advice on this. Even contact a child psychologist who is able to refer or assess for school readiness. Every child is not the same, and even things like loss of afternoon naps can be hard on some kids.

It will likely be harder on you than him. Children are very resilient and adapt easily. I too believe that full day kindergarten is beneficial. That being said, being an ECE myself, I typically can tell when children have had some exposure to daycare/preschool and those who have not. I definetly recommend preschool a couple days a week before kindergarten starts. It’s only January so some options are still open with new spots opening with the new year. If you choose not to go that route, I believe there is a pamphlet you can download from the Manitoba website regarding your child’s readiness for Kindergarten. Work on those skills if you can!! All in all, your child will be great! Like I said, it will be harder on you than him!

sad but my child took 2 months to adjust

worry about him. I think he will surprise you and be just fine. He will be so busy having fun the day will be over before he knows it. I always worried about my son and it was a waste of time.

 
 
Edited by matt123, 2018-01-20 10:39:26

I agree with others that say your child will most likely just be fine Try not to worry!  
 
If you can find a preschool or play groups to join, that would be time better spent imo than trying to find daycare. Centres can be hard to get into on short notice and home providers often don’t take part time for a couple of reasons...it’s a money loss for them in most cases and it’s hard to adjust a child that only comes a couple days a week. Some daycares have openings In the summer only though and if you’re open to sending him throughout the summer full time, that could be an option too! Good luck

My kids had a blast, there was no daycare involved at first either. One of us was always home, we worked our schedules out for that.  
It was honestly a bigger adjustment for us as parents than it was for either child they loved it.

French Immersion kindergarten is only half days everyday and it gives your child a change to learn a second (or third for some kids) language, which is almost always seen as an asset later in life. And no you don’t need to be able to speak French yourself in order for your child to be enrolled in the French Immersion program, all notes etc for the parents come home in English

My child did all day every other day. The bigger adjustment was to Grade 1 all day every day!! My child is very tired after doing 5 days, behaviour was rocky initially but settled down. Good luck communicate with the school and teacher. You can request to do half days and get worked into full days it isn't mandatory. Most schools want to engage and work with families to achieve what is best for your child.

To prep for possibly all day, everyday kindergarten I sent my daughter to preschool four mornings a week her second year. Fortunately I was granted the special request to send her to an out of catchment school for only half days. My child wasn't ready for full days and I knew it. I'm glad I went with my instincts and didn't have to deal with full days.

I wasn’t a fan of full day kindergarten, my oldest did half days before they switched to full days but my next one did full day everyday. I didn’t find that they were any further ahead having full days from half days. I also believed in making sure they were ready for kindergarten before hand, so worked on knowing letters, simple spelling, etc.  
I currently have my third in full days kindergarten. They adjust well after a few weeks, it really isn’t too bad. I’ll also keep mine home if I feel she needs a break or rest.

if you're a stay at home mom and childcare isn't an issue, talk to his teacher about bringing him 3 days a week until January. If he has a end of year birthday look at holding him back a year so that he's starting at 5, not 4 almost 5.

We lived in a small town so kindergarten was a full day every other day. It was perfect and they loved school!  
 
Get ready for all of the great little stories and little arts and crafts! Best days ahead!

Please don’t forget if your child is born later in the year (sept-dec), you do have the option of sending him the following year as well. I wish I would have known this and done this for my oldest. He is now 7 in grade 2 and is in the younger half of the class. He has adjusted ok this year, with less issues than last year, but not none... His first 2 Years were so rough on him. I feel looking back, if I had waited he would have had much more self confidence, social skills and maturity to be in school all day every day. We still keep an eye on it this year to see if he should repeat, but he seems to be fitting in better and completing more and more projects now vs the start of the year. It’s been told to me it is much better to have them repeat at a younger age with less need to belong in a group than before they get set in a social group and loose friends by staying back a year when they are older.

If you have a child entering Kindergarten in September 2018, please join us at one of the following Divisional Kindergarten Information Meetings:  
 
Tuesday, January 30, 2018 at 6:30 pm  
Valleyview Centennial School, 65 Whillier Drive, Brandon  
 
Wednesday, January 31, 2018 at 6:30 pm  
École New Era School, 527 Louise Avenue, Brandon  
 
Information will be provided regarding:  
* English as an Additional Language Registration Process;  
* St. Augustine School & French Immersion Application Process;  
* Child in Care Registration Process;  
* Types of Documentation Required;  
* Transportation;  
* Lunch Programs;  
* Before & After School Programs; and  
* What to Expect After Registration.  
 
If you require any disability accommodations or an interpreter for either event, please contact our office: Brandon School Division—Office of Communications  
Phone: 204-729-0388 Email: info@bsd.ca