Family Resources: Ages 0-5

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Getting Ready for Kindergarten: Information for Parents

IS IT TIME TO THINK ABOUT KINDERGARTEN?

Will your child be 4 or 5 years old before October 1st?

Kindergarten for 5-year olds available at all of our elementary schools. Kindergarten for 4-year olds available at most of our elementary schools.

Click to see the list of our elementary schools

I PREPARE MY CHILD FOR KINDERGARTEN PLACEMAT

This tool, originally created by partners from démarche École-Famille-Communauté Saint-Michel was adapted and translated by the Table de concertation 0-5 ans – Cavendish. The downloadable placemat contains a hunt and seek game and offers families a variety of tips on supporting transition into school.

To access the placemat, click here:

Together, we are stronger

If you are feeling anxious about your child's transition to school, just remember, you are an instrumental part of this journey - with the support of your school community, you are not alone! Your love, gentleness, warmth and deep connection with your child, will also allow you to lead. Together, we are stronger, and your children will feel safe, secure and connected - they will then be ready to learn and grow.

Your Child is Starting Kindergarten - Information for Parents

Your children take a crucial step in their developmental process as they enter a new world of discovery and learning.

Ministère de l’Éducation - Your child is starting kindergarten for 4-year-olds or 5-year-olds _ Information for parents

DIRECTORY OF RESOURCES: EARLY CHILDHOOD

This directory, created through the collaboration of the partners of the Table de Concertation 0-5 ans-Cavendish provides resources for families with children 0-5 years old in the NDG, Cote-St-Luc, Hampstead and Montreal-West areas.

To access the directory click here

NAÎTRE ET GRANDIR

This bilingual website offers families a wide variety of information regarding child development. Families can also sign up to receive a newsletter.

Visit Naître et grandir website

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

This multilingual website provides families with scientific knowledge on early childhood development, from conception to age five. Families can also sign up to receive a newsletter.

Visit Encyclopedia of Early Childhood Development website

TOOLKIT

Sometimes a little help with activities you can practice at home and ideas that will get your child excited for preschool goes a long way!

This is an incredibly important benchmark year in the lives of your children and the family! Transitions-to-School: It can take up to 3 months for a child to feel comfortable enough to fully transition into their new school setting. It is important to have reasonable expectations.Let us help you set the stage by visiting our toolkit?

To access the napperon, click here: To access the Children’s Books for the Transition into Kindergarten, click here:

Child Development

A child's overall development before they start school looks different for every child as children develop at their own pace. Schools need to be ready to recieve and address the needs of both the children and their families. A developmental perspective helps us understand what is required to support the child's development, growth, and maturity, and support the child within their existing qualities. It may require a shift in our own thinking as we tend to focus on our child's academic skills and abilities rather than perceiving the child's global development. The teacher's observations allow them to prepare a preschool program that meets both the interests and needs of the children, in order to work toward their full potential.

Your child's transition to school signifies the beginning of their educational journey. This is an important change, as it lays the foundation for future transitions and impacts on their motivation and love for learning.

Understanding the Preschool Age Child

To help us understand our own child's development. Making sense of what is really taking place

Fear Separation: Seeks contact and closeness.
Impulsive and Lack of self-control: Can only hold on to one thought or feeling at a time.
Playful: A natural instinct and love for play.
Egocentric: Prone to resistance and defiance.

Play, Play, and More Play

Research shows that the brain is enhanced most of all by the hours spent in play. Play is defined as unstructured, risk-free, expressive, and exploratory.

Play is fundamental to Development

Expressing Oneself | Problem Solving | Understanding Emotions | Communicating | Understanding the World

Unstructured | Risk-free | Expressive | Exploratory

Children need strong attachments for.....

healthy development to occur
to feel their needs are being met
to be free to discover and imagine
to foster independence

Emotions - Permission to Feel

Research shows that emotions need to be released and felt for healthy emotional development to unfold.

Building and Creating
Drawing and Painting
Role Play – Dress Up
Fine Motor – Quiet Activities

Building Attachments

Attachments fundamentally shape their development, experiences, and life long love for learning.

Take the Lead
Sameness
Communication
Positive Dialogue

Introduce your child to their teacher, this demonstrates that it is someone they can trust.

A child feels connected to an adult when you find similarities - share common ground with your child.

Be mindful about how we talk about the teacher/school in the child's presence. This safeguards these relationships. The child will feel safe, connected and secure.

Building an Understanding

Provides comfort and reduces stress.

Stories: Stories can help children name and express their own emotions about starting school.
Conversation: Discussions about what to expect at school and daily check-in's to reduce stressors and anxiety.
Expectations: Encourage a range of independent skills. This will build confidence and ease the transition. e.g. getting dressed, making choices, bathroom hygiene, following directions (Simon says - Fun way to practice)
Environment: Visit the school, follow the school on their social media page, and attend event e.g. Orientation, Open House

Structure and Routines

Predictable and Familiar

Bedtime
Sleep
Morning
Bridging

Bedtime routine provides a time of closeness, connections, and opportunity for sharing thoughts and feelings.

Sufficient amount of sleep provides cognitive and emotional functioning.

When you drop your child off to school, focus on when you will see them next. Provide something tangible that reminds your child of you.

Collect your child in the morning with a smile and a chat. Collecting gathers their attention and makes transition easier.

Community Resources