Kindergarten is a key stage in your child's education and development. His or her kindergarten years will be marked by several transitions, some more important than others. These transitions can be stressful for the child, and very often for the parents! It is important to prepare for these transitions so that you can help your child through them with calm and confidence. They need you!

Tips for preparing for kindergarten

• Talk about school with your family, read books about it, tell them about your (good!) memories of school.
• If your child has always been looked after by you, start separating from him/her for shorter or longer periods. Trust in your child's ability to learn to cope with these separations, which will be beneficial for both of you.
• Involve your child in preparing for the new school year (buying booties, choosing an outfit).

At école M, we're holding an open day in June. Your child will be able to see his or her classroom and spend some time there, meeting some of his or her classmates and teachers. On this day, we'll give him a little back-to-school booklet with photos of his school and teachers. Please take the time to look at it with your child over the summer, to help him prepare for his first day at school.

Transitions between each year of kindergarten

At the end of June, we announce to children and parents alike the composition of classes for the new school year. This way, there are no surprises: your child goes on vacation knowing who his or her classmates and teachers will be when the new school year starts. Take the time to discuss this with your child. There are advantages to both options, so discuss them with your child. Listen to any reservations they may have, and answer any questions they may have. We're also here to help with this transition, which, although smoother and simpler, is still a change that needs to be explained and prepared for with your child.

Preparing to enter the first grade

Your child is growing up, and the next school year will be primary schools. This is an important and exciting step, and one that should be accompanied by the right support to avoid it being too stressful:

• Before thinking about integration into CP, it's important to support the last few weeks of preschool. The school will be organizing gatherings to celebrate the completion of this first stage in your child's schooling, so try to be present at these moments.
• Highlight all that the child has done and learnt during the kindergarten years. You can look at his binders or photos from these three years and talk about how far he has come. This will give them the confidence to take on the next stage.
• If possible, visit the elementary school where your child will be attending.
• Find out if any of their classmates will be in their school or class. If not, reassure them that they will still be able to keep in touch with their friends (weekend visits, birthdays, etc.).

Arriving or leaving during kindergarten or the year

It can happen that, due to a move or other reasons, a child changes school between two years of kindergarten, or even during the year. If accompanied, the child can cope with these changes very well:

• Take the time to explain clearly and simply to your child that he or she will be changing schools a few weeks before departure.
• Accept his sadness if he feels it, and reassure him that, just as he was able to feel good in his current school, he will be able to feel good in his new school.
• Organize a visit to the new school before the first day of school if possible.
• Take the time to mark your child's departure from their current school by saying goodbye to their classmates and teachers.

At school, as in life, your child will go through many transitions between the ages of 2 and 6. As you may have noticed, the same advice comes up again and again. Reassure your child. He may be sad to leave the situation and the people he knows and loves, and he may be afraid of the unknown. Listen to him, and let him express his feelings, without going looking for them if your child doesn't feel them. It's the adult's role to talk to him, to explain what's going on, so that he can approach these changes with a little stress perhaps, but above all with confidence and excitement!