Welcome to a new year at UPCCC. I hope you all managed to have wonderful break over the Christmas/New Year period and managed to catch up with family and friends. I have to say that for me the break was welcome but over all to quickly, however the staff and I are all looking forward to working with all our families during 2012, renewing relationships with continuing families and getting to know our new families, thank you for allowing us to be a part of this very important stage of your children’s learning and development.
We firmly believe that educating and caring for your children is a shared responsibility between you as parents and all the staff at UPCCC and hope that your involvement with University Preschool and Childcare Centre is a positive and rewarding experience for both you and your children. We recognise that nobody knows your children better than you do so we value your input – the more information and insight you can provide us about your children the easier it is for us to provide continuity between home and Centre. We would love to hear your ideas on activities or different experiences we can provide for the children and if you are interested you are welcome to come in and share your interests/culture/talents with the children. We also appreciate being able share information with you about your children’s experiences and progress while they are with us, verbally and through the Daily Journals and Individual Children’s Journals.
The beginning of the year can often be a trying time for parents, children and staff as many of our current children are changing groups and we have several new children attending for the first time. This involves adjustment for both children and parents as they adapt to new routines and establish new relationships with both the staff and other children. It also means adjustment for the staff as they endeavour to get to know and build a rapport with the new children and their parents. It is normal for children at this time to become anxious about being separated from parents and to cry when parents leave. It is also normal for parents to feel anxious about leaving their children in the care of someone with whom they are not familiar particularly if their children are distressed. If you are worried about how your children are coping through the day feel free to call and talk to the staff as often as you like. If you are worried that your children do not seem to be adjusting to the changes please talk about this with the staff. All children are different with some taking longer than others to adjust to change and the staff may be able to give you some ideas on making the adjustment easier on both of you. If you would like to read more about children and “separation anxiety” go to Separation Anxiety.