Transitioning to Preschool


​Beginning Preschool: A Gentle Transition for Families
Starting preschool is a big milestone—for children and for the adults who love them. New routines, new teachers, and new expectations can bring excitement, pride, uncertainty, and sometimes tears. The good news is that most children adapt more quickly than we imagine when the adults around them communicate calm confidence and provide consistent routines.

The Drop-Off Transition: Confidence, Consistency, and Connection
For many families, the hardest moment of the preschool day is the first minute at the door. Children are highly attuned to the adults they trust; they read our facial expressions, tone, and body language for clues about whether a new situation is safe. When parents and caregivers project calm confidence, children are much more likely to settle quickly.
What helps most
  1. Create a brief goodbye routine. Keep it simple and predictable: “I love you. Have a great day. I’ll see you after school.” A short, familiar script is reassuring.
  2. Follow the “one-and-done” rule. Lingering, returning for “one more hug,” or repeatedly re-entering the room can restart a child’s anxiety. A warm, confident goodbye followed by a clear departure is usually easier for everyone.
  3. Trust the teacher at the door. Even if you feel emotional afterward, showing your child that you trust the school helps them borrow that trust.

A reassuring reality
Many children who cry intensely at separation settle within a few minutes of the parent leaving. Once engaged in a book, puzzle, sensory activity, or outdoor play, their attention often shifts quickly. If teachers are not sending an immediate update, it is frequently because they are busy helping children participate successfully in the classroom.
If you are worried and would like an update, we suggest that you wait about 15 minutes and then send a message through Brightwheel. The team will respond as soon as they are able.

What arrival looks like:
  1. Bring your child and their belongings to the appropriate entrance for their group.
  2. A teacher will greet you at the door; if no one is immediately there, you are welcome to come inside.
  3. Do your brief goodbye routine.
  4. Wave or blow kisses from the designated “waving windows” if your child enjoys that ritual.
  5. Check your child in using the Brightwheel QR code. Many families find it helpful to keep a small QR code card in the car and check in before walking to the door—this reduces both time pressure and emotions at the entrance.

Pick-Up: Reconnecting and Gathering Information
Pick-up is often the best time for a quick connection with the teaching team. One practical note: your child’s lead teacher may not always be the staff member supervising at pick-up time, so brief updates may come from another teacher who has been with the group.
On regular care days, pick-up typically happens from the playgrounds. Many families find it easiest to collect belongings first and then reunite with their child. Extended care pick-up is usually conducted inside the building on the main floor for most of the year; the same “belongings first” strategy can help keep the process smooth.
Please follow school guidance for parking, traffic flow, snow-day parking, and where families may stay for longer visits. These routines help keep arrival and dismissal safe for everyone. We also ask families to be mindful that playgrounds transition into after-school supervision spaces; staff will explain when post-school play is and isn’t appropriate.

Packing for a Preschool Day: Dress for Mess and Weather
Preschool is active. Children paint, build, dig, splash, climb, and explore. Clothing that can get dirty is a gift to your child because it allows them to participate fully without worrying about stains.

Why we prefer an open topped tote
An open tote is easier for children and teachers to access quickly. It makes transitions smoother and helps children practice independence by finding and putting away their own gear.

Why boots matter every day
Outdoor play happens in many weather conditions. Wet grass, mud, puddles, melting snow, and messy play can appear unexpectedly. Having boots available every school day prevents many uncomfortable clothing emergencies.

A typical bag includes
  • Rain suit or Tuffo suit (warm months) or snowsuit (winter months)
  • Rain/mud boots or snow boots, depending on season
  • Complete change of clothes: underwear, socks, pants, shirt, and an extra sweatshirt
  • Mittens (start sending them earlier in the fall than you think you’ll need them)
  • Lunch in a lunchbox, with an ice pack if needed
  • Water bottle
  • Afternoon snack for children in extended care

Toileting: A Team Approach to Independence
We work toward independence rather than managing long-term diaper or pull-up routines whenever possible. Our goal is not perfection—it is progress, partnership, and dignity.
How we support children
  • Families and teachers work as a team and communicate throughout the year.
  • We encourage children to participate in changing after accidents so toileting becomes a learning process rather than something done to them.
  • Children often gain confidence from seeing peers use the bathroom successfully; positive peer modeling can be very powerful.
If your child is in the middle of toileting development, consistency between home and school is one of the strongest predictors of success.

When to Keep Your Child Home
Preschool days are joyful and energetic. Children need enough stamina to participate in outdoor play, group activities, meals, transitions, and learning throughout the day.
Please keep your child home if they have:
  • Fever (return after 24 hours fever-free without fever-reducing medication)
  • Vomiting or diarrhea (return after 24 hours without symptoms)
  • Started antibiotics for a contagious condition (generally return after 24 hours on antibiotics, if improving and otherwise well enough for school)
  • A cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis, or other symptoms that significantly interfere with participation or require more care than staff can reasonably provide in a group setting

What “able to handle a day at school” means
A child may technically be fever-free and still not be ready for preschool. If they need extra rest to continue recovering, are unusually lethargic, very emotional, or are actively struggling with symptoms, an additional day at home often leads to a better return for both the child and the classroom community.

Brightwheel: The Communication Hub
Brightwheel is the primary way we communicate with families. Teachers post photos and notes, send messages, document incidents such as accidents or injuries, and manage check-in/check-out.
Use Brightwheel messaging for
  • Reporting absences
  • Questions for the teaching team
  • Early pick-up plans
  • Illness updates
  • Administrative questions (via the admin-only message option)
Set yourself up before school starts
  • Download the app and know your 4-digit check-in/out code.
  • Add two emergency contacts.
  • Verify phone numbers, email addresses, and home address for all caregivers.
  • Enter your child’s doctor information.
  • Pro tip: upload a current photo of your child so staff can identify the account quickly.

How Our Program Is Organized
Families may hear several different ways of describing groups: younger vs. older children, Tuesday/Thursday vs. Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedules, regular day vs. extended care, and upstairs vs. downstairs classrooms. These are organizational tools that help us create developmentally appropriate groupings and schedules.
Please review the published information about drop-off and pick-up windows of time, and arrive on time to pick up your child. Predictable timing helps children feel secure and helps teachers supervise transitions safely.

The Bigger Picture: Preschool Transition Takes a Few Weeks, Not a Day
Children often show their biggest adjustment needs at home: they may be more tired, more emotional, hungrier, or need earlier bedtimes during the first weeks. That does not necessarily mean preschool is going poorly; it often means they are working hard to manage a stimulating new environment.
The families who usually experience the smoothest transition tend to do three things
  1. Keep September relatively calm. Avoid overscheduling if possible. Preschool itself is a big change.
  2. Use consistent routines. Similar wake times, drop-off rituals, toileting expectations, and pick-up plans help children know what to expect.
  3. Make sure all caregivers are on the same page. Anyone dropping off or picking up should understand the goodbye routine, communication plan, and school expectations.

Consider enrolling your child in our summer camp program
Summer camp sessions can be an excellent “practice run” because children become familiar with the building, teachers, and routines before the full school schedule begins. Ask the directors for more information about summer camp held in August. 

One last reassurance
There is no single “perfect” transition. Some children stride in confidently on day one; others need several weeks of practice and reassurance. Our job is not to eliminate every tear—it is to build a relationship strong enough that children learn, “When my grown-up leaves, the teachers help me, the routine stays the same, and my grown-up comes back.” Once that pattern becomes predictable, preschool begins to feel like a place where they belong.

Important Summer & Fall Dates
Board-hosted playdates
The current Executive team of the Board of Directors holds weekly summer play-dates on the Poker Hill School playground throughout the month of July.  Check the monthly calendar to find out when playdates are being held this summer.

Summer camp 
We offer two separate weeks of introductory camp each August, one week for the incoming MWF group, and one for the incoming T/Th group.  Camp days run from 8:30am until 12:30pm and are offered Monday through Thursday of the given week.  See our monthly calendar to find out when summer camps are being held this year.

First day of school
The first day of school is typically the Tuesday following Labor Day.  This may change, particularly if Labor Day is later on a given year.  Check our monthly calendar to see when this year's first days of school will be. 

Harvest Market
The Poker Hill School community typically participates in the Underhill Old Fashioned Harvest Market, by walking in the parade and hosting a tent with face painting and merchandise sales. It’s a fun way for new families to see the broader community that supports the program.  We encourage all of our families to participate by joining us in the parade, and appreciate volunteers to help man the tent throughout the weekend.