Page 3 - Riverstones Room

Visits & Key Teachers

Starting preschool can be an exciting time, but it can take time for your
child to get used to their new environment and the kaiako (teachers).
Settling in can look different for each family and we ask families to do a
minimum of three prearranged visits into the room. These first visits we
ask you to stay with your child and interact with them within the
environment along with talking to your child’s key teacher. We will then
ask you to leave the room for a period of time (the amount of time depends
on how you and your child are feeling). The next stage, depending on your
booking times, we will arrange for your child to do some shorter sessions
working towards full days/weeks. This will allow your child to become
familiar with the daily routine here in the Riverstones room. Some children
settle in within a week or two where other children may take several
weeks. We will work closely with you to make this transition into
preschool as positive as possible for both you and your child.

During these visits we work closely with you both to build positive, trusting
relationships. Please tell us as much information about your child and your
whānau (family) as this helps us to care for your child. It can be helpful if
you write your child’s home routine down, we will then talk to you about
what this looks like at preschool and create as much continuity as possible.

We understand that you and/or your child may find it hard leaving each
other. Our wonderful team do everything we can to make this time as easy
as possible. We do use key teachers to support this process. We work on
building relationships during the visiting period. A key teacher’s role is to
help your child to settle and support them through their rhythms and
rituals of the day, allowing your child to get to know a small number of
staff at a time. We all interact with the children and take part in their
days, particularly as they are becoming more settled. This process also
ensures you as a parent has someone who understands your aspirations for
your child and can support a strong connection with home. Your key
teacher will also discuss your child’s individual planning and assessment
with you and is a point of reference for you as a parent. Your child needs
to feel safe and secure with us and needs to form a relationship as well.

Their relationship with us is built through the relationships we form as
adults. This period can sometimes take a couple of weeks, sometimes
longer to settle and feel confident in their new environment.