GTMS Life > Blog August 18, 2022

Toddler ADM: Welcome New and Returning Families

Welcome Everyone! We hope summer has been treating you well! To our new families joining us- welcome! To our current and returning families, we are so delighted to continue this journey with you! Within this blog post, you will find a lot of information that we would like for you to read through. We want […]

Welcome Everyone!

We hope summer has been treating you well! To our new families joining us- welcome! To our current and returning families, we are so delighted to continue this journey with you! Within this blog post, you will find a lot of information that we would like for you to read through.

We want to take a moment to acknowledge that some of you may be feeling uneasy, anxious, and/or curious whether it stems from your child going to a new environment with new adults or due to concerns surrounding the pandemic. Ms. Olivia and I would love to set up a time to chat with you and address any concerns pertaining to our classroom (lunch, rest, circle, toileting, face masks, etc.), and of course to get to know you! You may sign up by clicking this link: Toddler ADM Parent Call Sign Up. If any of these times listed does not work for you, please let us know.

Email and Communication

Please direct all emails to Ms. Dominique (dwells@gtms.org) and Ms. Olivia (opowers@gtms.org). Teachers are not available for communication during child contact times. If you have any questions/concerns, please email us and we will get back to you within 24 hours.

If there are ANY changes in your child’s schedule- vacation, home sick, or arriving late/leaving early etc., please email both myself and Ms. Olivia, as well as the Administrative Assistant at office@gtms.org.

Transitioning into the New School Year

We are very excited for this new school year and to welcome back our returners, and our new families. Transitions are changes, and big or small they require effort and energy. Your children may show strong emotions during their transition into this new school year, and they may not; but we would like for you to be aware of some of the normal behaviors that you may see during this period.

New children

Parents, you may see some changes in sleeping patterns, eating patterns, toileting, and behavior/mood (tired and clingy). The children will be meeting new people, presented with new limits and boundaries, working with new materials, and learning new routines. To put this transition into a relatable context, think about how it feels to start a new job– it is exhausting! Our first priority with your children is to help them to feel safe and comfortable in their new environment, so building relationships is crucial in the beginning. We will do a lot of singing, which children love. Also if your child has a favorite animal, color, or song we want to know all about it! Having items that are familiar or of interest will draw in your child.

Returners

The beginning of the school year can be a time of difficulty for the returners, as they are experiencing a big change as well. These children have said goodbye to their older friends. Then, they come back to school with a new group of children who aren’t accustomed to the routines of the classroom. Just as our current returners did last September, the new children may take others’ work, leave out their work, forget to get a rug, run in the classroom, sit too close, or hug without asking etc. Imagine being at work and having your mentors being replaced with new staff– it can be overwhelming for this group because their sense of order is disrupted; but it is also a great time for learning and growth. We suggest speaking to your children and empathizing with them, “It can be really hard to have new friends;” but remember to empower them also, “It is hard, but you are so brave and you can do hard things!” You may also mention their ability to show the new children how to do certain things, “Your body is so strong and you can show them how to sit at circle!” Also, remind them that they were new before: “There was a time when you were new and you would not sit for circle- isn’t that so silly to think about now?”

Items Needed for School

Packed Lunch and Evening Snack
Water Bottle (label with initials)
2 Changes of Clothes, weather appropriate (label with initials)
2 Face Masks (label with initials)
Indoor Shoes (label with initials)
Blanket for rest (label with initials)
Diapers, minimum of 25 (label with initials)
Wipes (label with initials)
Current photo of your child*
Current photo of your family*
Compact stroller (if your family travels by stroller)

*Please email photos, so we can print them out before Phase-In

Lunch and Snack

The Toddler Lunch program will return once we move to the new facility across the street. In the meantime, you will need to pack your child’s lunch and evening snack everyday, along with an ice pack. Click HERE to get some lunch and snack ideas!

Water Bottle

We are asking that each child has their own water bottle. Typically, we have one water source with glasses available for the children to pour their own water for drinking. Individual water bottles will help to limit the amount of surfaces being touched by multiple children. Water bottles will be sent home at the end of each day.

Recommended water bottles: Camelbak and Thermos.

Face Masks

We will be starting the school year requiring masks for all students over the age of 2, as well as staff for the first two weeks of school through September 16th. To find out more information about other times we will be wearing masks or the rest of our masking policy, please refer to page 6 of our Health and Safety Plan.

If your child has been wearing masks that work perfectly for them, that’s amazing! Feel free to share your recommendations with our Toddler ADM community. If you’ve noticed your child having some difficulty wearing a mask, here are some recommendations:

Carter’s OshKosh B’gosh Face Masks
Kids Disposable Masks

Indoor Shoes

We highly recommend Foamtreads due to their stability, nonslip component, and ease of putting onto the feet with little hands. The goal is for your child, over time, to be able to put on their shoes without any assistance, as well as comfort and safety when walking.

Recommended shoes: Foamtreads (preferred) and Acorn.

Outdoor Shoes

Our goal for outdoor shoes is similar to our goal for indoor shoes: comfort, safety, and independence (your child putting on shoes without help). Avoid shoes that will set your child up for failure like laces (unable to tie themselves) and crocs (lack of stability and support while running). When shoes with laces come into school, we will place them into a bag and allow your child to wear their indoor shoes home.

Recommended shoes: Pediped (option 1), Pediped (option 2), and See Kai Run.

Rest Blanket

It is helpful to provide a blanket that will cover your child’s entire body. Rest blankets are washed weekly.

Please, please, please– label everything: clothes (socks too), diapers (initials), indoor and outdoor shoes, etc. Anything that your child wears/brings with them into the building MUST be labeled with at least your child’s initials if you wish for it to return home. This is something that you will hear from us throughout the year. Again, this also includes the clothes your child is wearing to school in the morning.