Getting Ready for Preschool

Getting Ready for Preschool

As a parent, are you ready to send your child to preschool?  Support for preschool has been a hot topic recently across the nation.  A Harvard University study of Boston Public Schools’ free pre-kindergarten program published in March, 2013 - reveals that children who attend preschool can acquire lifelong advantages; including learning to focus and staying on task.  And according to an Oregon State University study, your child will have a 50 percent greater chance of graduating from college.

Starting preschool can be an anxious time for your child and yourself.  Often parents have more trouble with the transition than the child does!  Here are some practical tips for helping you and your child have a successful start to preschool this year!

1. Routine is king.  Practice the new routine of getting ready and going to school - before the first day.  The more prepared everyone is, the better.  Children perform best when they know what to expect.
2. Meet and greet.  Set up a time for your child to meet her teacher and see the classroom.  Some preschools have teachers conduct a home visit or have students visit the school to explore the classroom.  Setting up a play date in your home with a future classmate is also a great way to make that first day go more smoothly.
3. Calm fears.  Ask your child about anything she might be afraid of.  Explain that other kids feel the same way and that’s fine.
4. Be comforting.  Reassure your child she will have fun and believe it yourself.
5. Make your exit short and sweet.  Don’t linger once you say goodbye at the classroom door.
6. Keep informed.  Touch base with your child’s teacher regularly.
7. Get involved.  Participate in school functions.
8. Be positive.  Even if your child had a bad day, find one thing she enjoyed.
9. Have a routine.  Preschool helps regulate schedules for naps, bedtime and wake-up times.
10. Have a backup plan.  Prepare to have a child who cries or melts down at preschool.  Ask your teacher if it is OK to bring a comfort object.  Inquire if there is a quiet space in the classroom for your child to go to if she needs to calm down.
11. Get those shots.  Licensed preschools follow state vaccination requirements.  Be sure your child’s shots are up to date.

Information provided by Ari Brown, M.D., FAAP 

Summer Writing Fun for Kids

Let's make writing projects a part of the summer break. Start by creating a "writing box" to gather supplies for the projects. Use a shoe box or other similar box with a lib. Your child can use colorful wrapping paper to cover the box and decorate the outside. In the box, place pencils, colored pencils, colored markers and crayons, index cards, note pads, and assorted sheets of paper. This handy box can be taken in the car on road trips and will be a special collections tool on vacation or visits to relatives during the summer.


Here are a few writing ideas you can try with your child to encourage creative writing experiences during the summer.

1. Making signs to identify rooms in your house (bedroom, kitchen, living room, etc)

2. Making labels to identify items around the house (table, sofa, chair, stove, chest, etc). This activity will aid in vocabulary development and help with spelling.

3. Allow your child to use inventive spelling when writing stories. This gives your child practice in using spelling skills by "sounding out" words and will encourage his writing to be more creative. For older children, show them how to edit their writing by making spelling corrections. This is a great opportunity to introduce the dictionary if your child is not familiar with using this reference book.

4. For younger children, they can dictate stories and you can write the words for them. Have your child illustrate the story and help him to read the story back to you in his own words.

5. There are many different kinds of writing. Have your child try a few of these:

• writing letters to family members or to friends

• write notes such as: Thank you notes for gifts or invitations to a family cookout, also let your child write the grocery list as you dictate the items to him


The most important thing to remember about summer writing activities, is to make writing fun and entertaining and not a chore. You want your child to gain a love for writing that becomes a lifelong, joyful experience.

Summer Reading Ideas for Kids

Now that school is out and your child has lots of free time, it is important to include time for reading every day. Research has shown that if students do not read during the summer break from school, they will return to school reading below grade level.


You can make reading a fun part of the summer by taking advantage of the reading opportunities on the computer and at your local library. You can find summer reading programs that will engage your child in many different reading experiences, that include: theater, drama, puppetry, singing, and the arts.

At home, you can make reading a daily priority. Here are a few guidelines to help;

1. Create a reading plan by using the calendar to document weekly reading opportunities.

2. Set a reading time each day that meets the varied schedules of the family.

3. Select different types of reading that include books, magazines, iPod, Kindle, Nook Readers, or other electronic devices.

4. Select different types of books from the library to entertain and educate your child.

Another point to encourage your child's reading experiences, is to see YOU actually reading for pleasure or for information. If reading is important for your child, you must show that reading is important to you, as well. By establishing a positive role model for the enjoyment of reading, your child will learn to follow your example and engage in reading opportunities. So make reading a priority in your home this summer and help your child gain a love of reading before school begins in the fall.

Top 10 Reasons To Join PTA

10. Because Your Mom Did...and Look how well you turned out! Seriously though. Back in the day the schools had thousands of PTA members, parents were more involved, and kids were more respectful. Now we have a fraction of those members and the rest has followed.

9. It's cheap: At most schools you can purchase a membership for less then $5.00. There aren't many things that are under $5.00 these days. Just think of it as a school supply. You wouldn't send your kids to school without their backpacks!

8. Parenting Resources: Because we don't have all the answers! National PTA offers on-line parenting resources along with E-Newsletters on parenting and legislative issues.

7. To Do Your Part: If your school is like my school there is a small group of parents who do the majority of the work. We're not complaining, we wouldn't be doing it if I didn't want to. However, the more members we get the more we are reminded that even though you may not be able to shelve books in the library you still care and support what we are doing. Which is helping make our school a better place for all the kids.

6. Nation Deals: Being a PTA member at your school can get you BIG savings at National retailers like Hertz, Office Max, Sharp, and T-Mobile.

5. Local Deals: My PTA card also gets me local deals as well. Cap Perks was started in effort to promote PTA membership in Cobb County Schools. On their website you can use your PTA card to get coupons at tons of places from McDonalds to bowling.

4. School Deals: Most schools offer certain incentives for purchasing a PTA membership. Weather it is a discount on spirit wear to free admission to a school event your savings can really add up!

3. You Don't Have to Volunteer: Gasp! Shocking right? Just because you join PTA does not mean you have signed up to volunteer 40 hours a week for the entire school year. While I'm sure they would love your help, and I believe that every parent should help at some point during the school year. Being a PTA member does NOT mean you have to volunteer.

2. To Get on "The List": At most schools when you sign up for PTA you give them your contact information. Sure, they may want this information to ask you to help with something but they probably also use it to notify you of upcoming activities. No one likes to miss grandparents lunch!

1. You Care about Your Kids: The PTA supports the very school where your kids spend the majority of their time during the week. The PTA was formed to support the children and Parents at every school so please support us.

Posted by Jessica Jones, Georgia PTA, 2011