Pre-School Report

For those of you following me on Facebook you will have already heard that Isolde unfortunately caught a cold at pre-school and missed two days this week.  But otherwise her pre-school start has gone well.  Here's a little report.

Welcome!

The first three days last week I was there with her throughout but tried to keep a little bit of a distance so she could explore the facilities and get to know the other children and the teachers.  But I was still the one who dressed her, changed her, helped her at mealtimes and put her to sleep after lunch.  She was quick at connecting with the other children and trying out all the toys and wasn't afraid to approach the teachers or the other parents present for their children's induction.  On Friday she was a bit cranky though, probably a mix of being tired after the two first days and the cold coming on.


Rocking hard!

Monday was supposed to be her first real day as in being left alone there (well, alone as in without parents), but due to the cold she had to stay at home Monday and Tuesday (and Peter and I had our VAB première with one day each).  Today she was well enough to attend but since four days had passed since she was last there I didn't just want to leave her right away this morning (even though she started playing right away) so I stayed for the first hour but kept a bit of a distance.  I then said a quick goodbye whereby she cried out a little bit but apparently it didn't last long after I had closed to door to the yard (they were outside playing).  I went inside to use the bathroom and get my handbag and just when I was about to leave one of the teachers came in with Isolde to find one of the other children's pacifiers.  I hadn't told the teacher I was going inside so she was a bit surprised but Isolde seemed to take it well even though she saw me and didn't seem to mind that I left (again).  I guess searching for the pacifier was more fun!

Peter picked her up at 3pm and was told that the rest of the day had gone well except for nap time when she was crying a lot and didn't want to sleep.  But eventually she and another child who was also upset (or couldn't sleep for some other reason) fell asleep in a different room from the other children.  She didn't eat much either but that could also be due to her cold because yesterday she didn't have much of an appetite either.

Tomorrow I will drop her off around 9 am and leave for work right away and hopefully she won't mind too much and also sleep better at nap time. 

So far we're very happy with the pre-school.  I got a really good impression of the teachers and I liked the atmosphere there.  They seem genuinely nice and warm and they could answer all our (as in me and the other parents) questions in a clear way.  They seem confident in their profession and their work (both the pedagogy and the care) with the children.  The other children that started in the spring (two children; the only ones left after the others have moved up to an older age group) and the two that started last week seem to feel at home and safe and have a close relationship with the teachers. 

Isolde's will be a small group for the next few months at least.  In addition to the four who started in the spring and the week before Isolde, there were five children who started at the same time as her and one who started this week.  That makes it 11 (4 girls and 7 boys) and in September or October another girl will start.  They have two more places to fill (they usually have 14 children) but they don't know yet when they would start.  They are three staff which is a pretty good teacher-child ratio.  The youngest children are 12 and 13 months and the oldest turns two in October.  Most are around Isolde's age, i.e. 1½ years old.

On a typical day at pre-school they will go to a nearby playground or park in the morning for an hour or so (or just stay in their own yard) and return back by 10:30 for some brief indoor playtime (and nappy change and similar) before they gather for song time (and downtime) around 10:45-11:00 ahead of lunch at 11:15.  After lunch at c. 12:00 it's nap time until 13:00 or 14:00 depending on how long each child sleeps.  Then it's play time or other activities like painting or crafts or story time the rest of the afternoon with a break for a snack around 14:15-14:30.  Snack is usually yoghurt, porridge or bread (or pancakes or hot dogs on Thursday when they get soup for lunch).  In the morning they are served fruit or rice cakes as a snack while they are out in the park or in the playground.  When they go out they have small wagons the kids ride in until they are old enough to walk longer stretches. 

Look out for the next report in a couple of weeks' time!