The first week of preschool: a practical checklist for parents

Two weeks before

• Visit together if the school allows it. At SunnySeeds you are welcome to come during morning school hours and bring your child.
• Talk about school in simple, everyday words: who will be there, what they will play, and who will pick them up.
• Read a picture book about starting school, and let your child ask questions.
• Practise the morning at the real time for a few days, including breakfast and getting out of the door by the start of school.
• Practise small things at your child's level: washing hands, drinking from their own bottle, opening their lunch box, saying when they need the toilet.
• Ask the school for its list of what to bring, and label everything.
• Ask which documents the school needs from you before the first day.

What to tell the teachers

• Allergies and dietary needs. At SunnySeeds, halal and other religious or dietary needs are worked out with each family.
• Any health condition, and how the school handles medicines; ask for its policy rather than assuming.
• The words your child uses for the toilet, for being hungry, and for feeling upset.
• A comfort object, and whether it should come to school.
• Sleep habits, if your child will be there for rest time.
• The languages spoken at home. In a school that teaches English, Bahasa Melayu and Mandarin, this helps teachers know which words your child already has.
• Who is allowed to collect your child.

Agree how you will hear from school

Before the first day, find out how the school will contact you, who to message, and when you can expect a reply. At SunnySeeds the parent app carries broadcast messages, one to one conversations with teachers, photos and videos of your child's day, check in and check out, student evaluations, and sick leave and holiday applications.

The goodbye

• Keep it short, warm and the same every day.
• Tell your child when you will be back in words they understand, such as after lunch or after story time.
• Say goodbye rather than slipping away, so your child knows what to expect.
• Be on time for pickup in the first weeks; it builds trust that you will come back.

If your child is unwell

Keep your child at home when they are unwell, follow the school's sick policy, and take medical questions to your doctor. At SunnySeeds, sick leave is applied for through the parent app.

What settling can look like

There is no fixed timeline. Some children walk in on the first day without looking back, some cry at drop off for a while, and some are happy at first and only find it hard in the second week, once the newness wears off. All of these are common. Ask the teachers what they see once you have left, because many children settle soon after the goodbye. If you are worried, raise it early and agree a plan together.

Choosing a session length is part of this too; our guide to half day or full day covers it.