Beginning School

Since the PEEP and kindergarten years will lay the foundation for future learning, both parents and teachers are anxious for children to get a good start in school. Below are some suggestions to help your child experience early success:

• Have your child’s birth certificate and immunization records, as well as two proofs of residency documents, with you when registering for school.
• Prepare your child for school by telling him/her that school is a happy place where he/she will have many new experiences.  Share the learning excitement!
• Teach your child the safest route to and from school.
• Send your child to school fed and well-rested.
• Teach your child his/her first name, last name, and address.
• Send your child to school regularly and on time.
• Call your child’s school if he/she will be absent for any reason.
• Send a note to the teacher when your child has been absent, including the child’s first and last name, the date(s) of absence, the reason for the absence, and your signature.
• Show an interest in your child’s school experience. Take his/her learning very seriously and give praise often.
• Plan to attend both fall and spring parent - teacher conferences to discuss your child’s progress.
• Feel free to call and make an appointment to visit your child’s classroom.
• Please call the teacher or the principal if you are worried about a problem at school.
• Provide comfortable clothing for your child that he/she can button, zip, snap, or tie.
• Put your child’s name on sweaters and any outdoor clothing.
• Teach your child good health habits which include the following: washing hands, toilet needs, covering mouth when coughing or sneezing, and using a handkerchief or tissue.

Establishing a Positive Home Environment

Parents are the first and most important teachers a child will ever have. The home is a powerful factor in determining how well a child will do in school.  Parents want their child to succeed in school and often ask, “How can I help?” The ideas in this booklet are intended to help you continue to be your child’s most important teacher.

• Set work and play schedules.
• Share duties and household chores.
• Praise your child’s accomplishments.
• Read together every day.
• Regularly visit a library or museum.
• When working with your child, be patient and allow time for learning.
• Respect your child by listening and encouraging his/her efforts. 
• Describe/say what your child is doing while he/she is doing it. This shows you care and expands thinking and vocabulary. 

How to Talk with Children 

To get the conversation going…

• Bend at the knee or sit at eye level across from the child.
• Smile and lean slightly forward.
• Say what you see the child doing.
• Say what you hear the child saying, slightly rewording it.
• Pause, giving the child a chance to respond.
• Take turns talking.
• Invite a child to tell you a story.
• Share and talk about stories from books.
• Ask a child to show you how to do something.
• Use the child’s name often and always in a positive way.

Learning Skills

• Talk with your child. Answer questions, name things, talk about what you are doing, and encourage your child to talk about what he/she is doing.
  
• Encourage your child to remember things seen on a walk or during a visit to a new place (such as street signs, restaurants, play areas, and schools).
  
• Have your child close his/her eyes and tell about the different sounds he/she can identify (such as water running, a door closing, or a clock ticking).
• Teach your child to follow simple directions (pick up a glass and then put it in the sink, for example).
• Have your child identify objects by touch (eyes closed).  Help him/her use descriptive words, such as soft, smooth, rough, small, etc. (such as hard apple, short pencil, big book).
• Show your child a group of objects.  Cover the objects and remove one. Uncover. Have your child guess which one is missing.
• Play “I see something.”  Say, “I see something that is…” and describe it by color, shape, size, texture, and possible use. Take turns after your child has learned the game.
• Talk with your child about letters of the alphabet they see in the environment. Ask your child to name letters he/she sees, letters in his/her name, etc.
• Model writing, (such as making a grocery list together or sending a card).
• Encourage your child to begin writing letters.  This could include writing his/her name or the names of family members.
• Play rhyming games with your child that encourage listening to sounds (such as bat/hat).