Although Discovery Prep Academy is a wonderful
place, it is normal for parents and children to feel
some feelings of separation anxiety when enrolling their
child in a preschool program for the first time. Although
the gentle support and encouragement of our well-trained
teachers helps to ease feelings of nervousness, fear,
loneliness, or sadness commonly associated with separation
anxiety, we recommend that children and parents enter
the preschool program in a gradual manner. A gradual
introduction enables parents and children the opportunity
to visit the facility, visit the classroom, meet the
teacher, and learn about the program before children
spend time at the school without their parents.
Please feel free to visit the preschool
with your child, as often as necessary, to help your
child adjust to the school environment. During these
initial visits, children learn that the teachers are
kind and caring and that parents and teachers respect
one another. If possible, plan to remain with your child
for a while on the first day of attendance. If you are
unable to stay a while, if possible, keep the first
day of attendance rather short to help ease your child’s
transition. Since some children have a more difficult
time coping with separation anxiety than others, very
often, these children need shorter hours of attendance
throughout the first week or longer. In addition, please
encourage your child to take a special stuffed animal
or toy as well as their special pillow and blanket to
school. These special items from home help comfort children
and ease their feelings of anxiety during the transition
process. Rest assured, our teachers, Assistant Director,
and Directors will work together with you to ensure
that the transition process is successful and that you
and your child are happy and satisfied.
Since we have a multilingual teacher as
well as several bilingual teachers at Discovery Prep
Academy, please inform us if a language other than English
is the primary language spoken at home. In order to
ease the transition process, whenever possible, we make
an effort to facilitate communication by using familiar,
primary language phrases and words.
