Tag Archives: Early Childhood Education

The Montessori Legacy… and One Person’s Journey

by Camilla Nichols, Senior Director of Montessori Development
(edited by Tori Inkley)

As many know, the Montessori Method of education has been around for over 100 years. Maria Montessori was born and raised in Italy, which is also where she opened the very first Montessori School, Casa dei Bambini, in San Lorenzo in 1907. Given her own thirst for knowledge and desire to make a difference in the world, Dr. Montessori became one of the first female doctors in Italy, graduating from the University of Rome in 1896. After graduating, she became an assistant at the university hospital and continued to conduct research in the psychiatric clinic. It was in this clinic where she witnessed immense concentration in a young boy who, despite being understimulated and not properly cared for, picked up breadcrumbs from the floor, one by one, over a long period of time. Though maybe not particularly significant to anyone else, to that child, the work of picking up breadcrumbs lead to great focus.

While studying and observing children in various environments, Dr. Montessori discovered that if the children were provided with meaningful activities, they would develop both independence and self-confidence. From those initial discoveries, she went on to develop colorful and inviting materials that would stimulate a child’s senses and would allow the child to work independently and self-correct without needing the assistance of an adult. The environment that she prepared for the children contained child-sized shelves and furniture, and the children were able to choose their own work, as well as choose where to work (i.e., on a floor rug, at a table, or in the rose garden). The Montessori Directresses (Teachers) moved around the classroom as guides, observing the needs of the children and respectfully allowing them to complete their work… only interrupting when and if needed. At this school, the children learned Grace and Courtesy, in addition to building academic skills through work in the areas of Practical Life, Math, Language, Sensorial, and Culture. In this Prepared Environment, the child became the driving force, not the teacher. At Casa dei Bambini, the children thrived and were so stimulated through purposeful engagement, that they didn’t want to leave at the end of the day. Casa de Bambini, which means “Children’s House”, immediately drew worldwide attention. Visitors from across the globe came to witness the children performing “work”, which included engaging in daily life skills. The children were observed eating meals using porcelain plates and utensils and drinking from glasses. The school looked more like a home with fresh cut flowers in small vases and a beautiful garden. While creating this original school with its impressive materials and establishing the Montessori Method, Maria Montessori called upon the work of her greatest influencers: Friedrich Froebel, Jean Rousseau, Edouard Seguin, and Jean Marc Gaspard Itard.

In 1915, at the World Fair in San Francisco, a “Glass Classroom” was constructed and put on display. In the classroom were 30 children with no prior Montessori experience; something Dr. Montessori insisted on. The children were observed working on meaningful activities for three full months. Spectators at the fair soon referred to them as “miracle children”, as they witnessed the powerful sense of concentration that was taking place and the phenomenon of children joyously working independently. While this new educational model had quickly begun spreading around the world several years prior to the fair, with the first school in America opening in New York in 1911, due to world events and personal events in Dr. Montessori’s own life, it wasn’t until the 1960s that the Montessori Method was firmly established once and for all in the United States. Maria Montessori quickly became well respected by world leaders, such as Thomas Edison, Helen Keller, Ghandi, Alexander Graham Bell, and President Woodrow Wilson, who even established a Montessori classroom in the basement of the White House during his presidency.

In 1960, after being appointed the U.S. Representative of the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) by Mario Montessori, the son of Maria, Nancy McCormick Rambusch established the American Montessori Society (AMS) of which The Montessori Children’s Academy is a member. Mrs. Rambusch had also founded the first authentic Montessori School in the United States, Whitby School, which is located in Greenwich, CT, and she served as its first Headmistress from 1958 – 1962. The opening of Whitby is believed to be the beginning of the Montessori resurgence in America. Today, there are over 15,750 Montessori schools around the world, with some boasting famous alumni such as Jeff Bezos (Amazon Chairman), Sergey Brin (Google Co-Founder), George Clooney (Actor/Filmmaker), Sean Combs (aka P. Diddy; Rapper/Record Producer), Steph Curry (NBA Player), John Cusack (Actor/Producer), Anne Frank (German-born Jewish Diarist), Helen Hunt (Actor/Director), Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (Editor/Journalist/Former First Lady), Larry Page (Google Co-Founder), Taylor Swift (Singer/Songwriter), Prince George of Wales, and more.

Over her lifetime, Maria Montessori trained thousands of Montessori teachers, published over 15 books, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times, and held lectures while traveling all over Europe, the United States, and India. One of the last training centers Dr. Montessori helped establish before she settled in the Netherlands was the Montessori Centre in London, which later became St. Nicholas Training Centre. She held her last training course in Austria at the age of 81, and died shortly thereafter in Noordwijk, Netherlands with her son Mario by her side.

I can honestly say I owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Maria Montessori for the gifts she shared with the world. My own personal Montessori journey began some 28 years ago at St. Nicholas Training Center in London, and that path has provided me with an amazing opportunity to travel around the world as a Montessorian. While working as a teacher in Jakarta, Indonesia, with mainly non-English speaking students, I witnessed firsthand that regardless of religion, race, or language, the Montessori Method applies to all children. During my time as an educator at Whitby School in Connecticut, I observed Middle School students presenting graduation speeches on how the Montessori Method had influenced and changed their lives. And in 2006, I had the good fortune to become a part of The Montessori Children’s Academy family. In addition to being a former Head Teacher at MCA, I am also the proud mother of two MCA alumni who are now both successful college students; one in NC in the field of nursing and one in CO in the field of education. To this day, my children still tell me that MCA is where they learned to think outside the box and that those years were when it was fun to come to school.

After my time as an MCA Head Teacher, I became the Director of Montessori Development and had the immense privilege to be part of the team who founded Montessori Center for Teacher Development (MCTD), MCA’s very own Montessori Teacher Education Program. MCTD is now in its 10^th year of educating Early Childhood Montessori teachers throughout New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. When I found The Montessori Children’s Academy, I knew that I had found my second home here in the states. During my almost 17 years with MCA, I have been able to guide and support hundreds of children and their families, instruct numerous Adult Learners enrolled in MCTD, host some very influential speakers during Parent Nights, present at AMS Conferences, hold inspirational in-services for our staff, and much more. MCA is also where I had the honor of meeting former Chief Executive Officer of AMS, Tim Purnell, who after visiting our school with his wife, chose to enroll their daughter at MCA, stating that they were looking for an environment that was not only high-fidelity, but a place where their daughter would flourish – as it’s not just the pedagogy that makes Montessori, but the entire look and feel of a program. (The interview with Dr. Purnell is at https://themontessorichildrensacademy.com/blog/2019/10/01/spotlight-on-dr-timothy-purnell/ )

In addition to my time with MCA, I have also been a consultant to other Montessori schools in the United States and abroad; most recently, I have been consulting with Bladins, a school located in Malmö, Sweden, near where I grew up. I recall that in 1972, I was placed on a student waiting list for the only Montessori school that existed in my hometown at that time. My mother was very carefully planting the seeds for what I now consider to be my life’s quest… sharing my Montessori passion with others around the world. Fast forward to the fall of 2022 when I was visiting Italy. My eyes welled with tears as the Director of Casa dei Bambini opened the school door and welcomed me into the very first classroom that Dr. Maria Montessori had created. Everything was still the same… from the Pink Tower to the children eating on porcelain dishes in the dining room to the still thriving rose bush Maria planted in the garden. Her legacy lives on and continues to touch thousands of children every day, all around the world. With that, I would like to say that I am so glad you have chosen The Montessori Children’s Academy, an authentic Montessori school that I am very proud to be a part of, for your children and your families. It is my sincere hope that you too feel that this is your second home; a home filled with love for the Montessori Method, and most importantly, filled with love for your children.

What We Love About Montessori

Evidenced by the red and pink hearts, candy, and flowers displayed in stores everywhere, February is a special month. Not only do we acknowledge Valentine’s Day on February 14^th with little exhibits of love and kindness for those around us, but we also celebrate Montessori Education Week February 24^th – February 28^th and pay tribute to Dr. Maria Montessori with gratitude for the incredible philosophy of education she shared with us over 100 years ago.

Mrs. Adamo, Mrs. Fasolas, and Mrs. McShane, three of our MCA Head Teachers, recently asked the students in their classes what they love most about their Montessori classrooms and what they think is important about school. What follows are some of the quotes and written
responses shared by the children.

“I love math.”

“I love Golden Bead Addition.”

“I love the Stamp Game.”

“I love all the friends, Math, and Language.”

“I love my friends.”

“I love the maps in Culture, Math, and the
teachers.”

“I love the calendar and the material.”

“I love Music class.”

“I love Circle time.”

“I love working with the Language material.”

“I love the teacher, the hamster, and the
library.”

“I love using the Moveable Alphabet to make words.”

“I love reading in the library area.”

“I love the Red Rods Maze.”

“I love all the Practical Life work.”

“I love Food Prep in Practical Life.”

“I love eating lunch with my friends.”

“I love free play in the gym.”

“I love playing with my friends on the playground.”

“I love chillin’ in the Peace area.”

“I love working with my friends.”

“I love helping the younger children.”

“I love EVERYTHING!”

2020 Goals: A look at how to approach goal setting with your children

How many of you started out 2020 by making a New Year’s Resolution? And be honest… how many of you by now have already discarded all hope of following through on that resolution? After holidays filled with excess (excessive eating, socializing, shopping, and more!), lots of people have grand notions of reigning it all in on New Year’s Day. Losing 25 pounds in a month. Exercising seven days a week. Burning the credit cards (well, maybe not quite that drastic, but you get the picture). We want a fresh start. We aim big. But by aiming too high, we can easily fall flat.

However, that doesn’t have to happen if we make our resolutions a little more realistic and manageable. Lose ten pounds by the start of spring. Add one new exercise routine to your schedule each week for eight weeks. Limit shopping expenditures by a certain amount each month. In order to start fresh, change our behavior, and stick to our goals, we can turn to countless resources to help us along the way—weight loss programs, smoking cessation techniques, fitness centers, and of course, our friends and family. We can read books, search the internet, or ask our friends who’ve reached goals we aspire to for advice, and then set forth on our path towards reaching the goals we’ve set. If we think about it, having a realistic goal feels good. It motivates us to move in a positive direction, gives us focus, and allows us to celebrate our accomplishments.

Children benefit from goal setting, too. Having goals teaches children about planning, perseverance, and positive behavior. It gives them a sense of control and responsibility for their actions and over their learning. Believe it or not, Montessori students, perhaps without knowing it, set and achieve goals almost daily. Many students enter their classrooms knowing exactly what work they want to do that day. Then, they go to the shelf, collect the work, perform the tasks, and voilà! They’ve achieved their goal! Or, a Montessori student might have been inspired by an older student using a certain material in a more advanced way in October, and then spends time observing to learn how it’s done, until one day in the spring, he or she tries it him or herself. Check—another goal met!

Goals can provide inspiration for trying new things or doing things in new ways. And like adults, children do best in their goal setting with some guidance to help them set attainable goals, develop a plan to achieve them, and support and cheer them along the way. Here are just a few ideas for setting goals with your children this year:

1. Explain what goals are. Merriam-Webster defines the word goal as “the end toward which effort is directed”. By this definition, our goals need to answer the questions “What effort do I want to make?” and “Why?” Equally important is considering the answer to the question “By what date (or in what timeframe) do I want to achieve my goal?” Especially for younger children, shorter-term goals may be best in starting to learn the skill of goal setting.

2. Share your own experiences in setting and achieving goals with your child. Having an example to follow is a great tool. Equally important is sharing any obstacles you faced along the way in reaching or falling short of your own goals. Knowing that there may be bumps in the road teaches your child that there will be challenges, but there are ways to work through those challenges with some planning ahead and support from others. Be sure that you share some simple, daily goals you might have. Note, it’s best if your examples show your child a specific goal that includes a timeframe you had for completing it. For example, you might share with your child that your goal for the day is to shovel the snow before the postal worker is due to arrive. A longer-term goal might be to read one chapter of a new book before bedtime every night until the book is finished. Or, maybe you aspire to learn how to make icing flowers for a birthday cake before Grandma’s 80^th birthday in March. These examples of small, simple goals are just as important as sharing a larger goal you may have achieved, such as saving money over a period of time to take a special trip or learning a new skill. Both types of goals illustrate how goals are really part of our daily lives and motivate us to get things done!

3. Encourage your child to brainstorm possible goals. During the brainstorming, some of the ideas your child comes up with might be ‘out there’ and outrageous like “I want to fly to the moon!” Allow those to be shared (you never know—your child may aspire to be an astronaut and achieve that goal of flying to the moon in the future!). However, if there are absolutely no realistic goals on the list at the end of the brainstorming session, remind your child about some of your simpler, daily goals and some goals that your child may have already achieved unwittingly (like learning how to ride a two-wheeler or mastering cursive writing). Ask your child, “What is something you’d like to achieve or overcome?” See if they can verbalize some of their aspirations in terms of friendships, strengthening a certain skill, sports participation, or learning something new. And remember, the goal is the child’s goal for him or herself and not your goal for your child (you can have those, too, but for this exercise, we’re teaching children to set and work towards goals for themselves!).

Have your child consider the list and add to it with something reasonable and specific that might be a better option. You might provide some help in determining if the goal is something that your child does have control of, too. For example, a high school student whose goal is to ‘get into Harvard’ can certainly work very hard towards that goal, but ultimately, it’s the college admissions officer who determines whether the student gets in and the fate of the result lies not with the student but with the school. Instead, keep the goal within the framework of what the child can do and control, such as learning to play a song on the ukulele or trying to be less shy and more outgoing at birthday parties.

4. Write down the goal! This could be a fun art project. Write down the goal on poster board and have your child decorate it in any way she or he would like. Then keep the written goal up in a place your child will see it as a reminder of what she or he hopes to achieve. The poster could also be used as a tool for tracking progress (as you’ll see below in number 6)!

5. Make a plan. Some of your children, particularly Kindergartners and Elementary students, may have ‘work plans’ at school. These are used by students and teachers to organize the work children do in school and keep them on track with their progress through different materials and subjects. Similarly, a personal goal can be set up like these school work plans. Knowing what you want to achieve, setting a target date for achieving it, and then filling in the steps needed to work towards the goal are all part of the plan. This all doesn’t have to be written down, but these are important things to discuss with your child. Breaking a goal into smaller steps is helpful. Reaching each step in itself is an accomplishment that helps spur a child on to following through on whatever larger goal she or he has set.

This is also a good place to have your child consider what the challenges might be in working toward the goal. It might not be easy all the time, but knowing that ahead of time allows your child to prepare for the ‘what ifs’ and the difficult days. Be sure to remind your child that you are there to support him or her along the way. If appropriate, have your child consider who else might serve as a support in working towards the goal—a teacher, grandparent, librarian, or even YouTube tutorial videos? Knowing the resources available can also be part of the plan and pave the way towards success. Some runners training for a marathon use apps on their smartphones that provide training schedules, and they often enlist a running partner to help from becoming sidetracked or discouraged during their months of training leading up to the big day. Help your child think about resources that might help.

6. Celebrate every success along the way! Now, you don’t need to pull out that credit card here (remember the goal of cutting back on purchases?!), but it is important that you and your child acknowledge the successes your child meets on his or her journey towards reaching the goal that has been set. Positive encouragement in simply acknowledging that you’ve seen your child make an effort to work towards his or her goal might be enough! Or, perhaps have your child go back to the poster board with the goal written on it and add new decorations every time he or she has made some progress. This is very different from someone handing out a ‘gold star’. Instead, your child can take a moment to step back and reflect on what she or he has been working at and recognize the positive movement. It becomes an internal reward system of feeling good about what you’ve been doing. Remember those classroom work plans? The celebration is often being able to cross something off of the ‘to do’ list. That in itself is satisfying and rewarding, and it shows that progress has been made. These small celebrations also provide momentum for continuing on towards that end goal.

And once the goal is achieved, your child might celebrate by thinking up the next bigger goal that lies ahead!

For more information on children and goal setting, see these resources which also were used in compiling some of the information for this article:

Borba, Dr. Michele. “How to Teach Kids Goal-Setting and Perseverance”. US News & World Report. December 2017. https://health.usnews.com/wellness/for-parents/articles/2017-12-26/how-to-teach-kids-goal-setting-and-perseverance.

Cullins, Ashley. “4 Steps for Helping Your Child Set Effective Goals (Plus a Bonus Tip)”. Big Life Journal. December 2019. https://biglifejournal.com/blogs/blog/goal-setting-for-kids.

Evitt, Marie Faust. “7 Tips for Teaching Kids How to Set Goals (And Reach Them!)”. Parents Magazine. https://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/style/how-to-teach-kids-perseverance-goal-setting/.

Collaborating with The Country Home: Keeping the spirit of caring and giving alive all throughout the year!

It is always with great anticipation that MCA selects and announces the organization it will support each school year, and we take great pride in making our charitable efforts an ongoing series of events throughout the year rather than limiting them to just the holiday season. This year, we are especially excited about the opportunities that are unfolding for our students, staff, and families as we partner with The Country Home Memory Care. We believe that the connections we are making through the activities we have planned will be long-lasting and make a positive impact not only in the lives of the residents at The Country Home, but also for our MCA community.

About The Country Home
Located in Morris Plains, New Jersey, The Country Home is a 38-bed community which offers personal residential care for senior citizens with Dementia and Alzheimer’s. The Victorian house is surrounded by a white picket fence with a beautiful outside seating area where music can be heard playing. There is a large area for the residents to garden with family members, and on Sundays, they have “Family Day” where everyone gathers together. It is a place where people can feel comfortable and at home while receiving the attention and care that they need. The residents have the opportunity to engage in a variety of daily activities, such as playing games or caring for the cat and dog through pet therapy, and we are adding to their opportunities with our school community efforts this year.

Our Special Connection
Mrs. Jacqueline Pisciotto, one of our MCA Head Teachers, discovered The Country Home when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Mrs. Pisciotto, through her personal experience, has learned a great deal about the needs of Alzheimer’s patients and has come to discover that the Montessori approach not only benefits children, but also benefits those senior citizens with Dementia or Alzheimer’s. As researchers have found in their work with the elderly in recent years, Mrs. Pisciotto observed firsthand that by bringing Montessori ideas and activities into this senior community, the residents could engage in meaningful activities that stimulate and engage their minds and utilize their fine motor skills in the same way that our MCA students benefit from this type of work at their own developmental stages. In discussing this initiative with Dr. Timothy Purnell, current CEO of the American Montessori Society, we learned that AMS has recently highlighted information on the positive connection between Montessori and Alzheimer’s patients, so this is an exciting time to become involved in newly developing research and Montessori expansion across generations.

Together with Mr. Steven Richter, the Administrator of The Country Home, MCA began exploring ways to apply the Montessori philosophy and incorporate Montessori Materials into the daily activities of the senior citizens at The Country Home. Thus, MCA’s service commitment started, and we are well on our way to making a positive impact on the lives of our new friends at The Country Home.

Bringing Montessori to The Country Home
To support The Country Home’s Dementia/Alzheimer’s care services, MCA students are creating Montessori-inspired materials to share with the residents. Together with their teachers, the students are designing their own Practical Life exercises, art projects, and Sensorial lessons for their new Montessori counterparts. These are then shared with the residents at The Country Home by Mrs. Pisciotto, who demonstrates to the seniors how to use the materials. The materials remain at the center housed on a special “Montessori Cart” which was donated by MCA and assembled by our MCA Elementary students. This cart and the materials are left on the premises for the residents to use as they wish.

Currently, Mrs. Pisciotto and Mrs. Camilla Nichols-Uhler, Director of Montessori Development, have been visiting the residents each week, bringing in different activities for the seniors to explore. To date, they have presented lessons on patterning and stringing beads, matching socks, folding napkins, matching colors, flowers, and leaves, spooning cheerios, and tonging pom poms. The residents also are enjoying using tangram puzzles; one former construction foreman absolutely loves these puzzles! In addition, Mrs. Pisciotto and Mrs. Nichols-Uhler have shared various arts and crafts activities, including making holiday decorations. Mrs. Pisciotto also brought in the birds from her classroom, Tinker Bell and Peter Pan, and they were a huge hit, as many of the residents spent time watching and interacting with them.

During these MCA visits, everyone becomes engaged in various activities which support fine motor control, concentration, and memory. Not only that, but they have fun and make social connections as well! Several residents have started to sing songs and share stories and memories from their lives. Needless to say, the reception from everyone at The Country Home has been nothing but positive, and there have been many requests to please bring in more Montessori work for them to do!

More Student, Staff, and Family Participation Opportunities
Our MCA Kindergarten and Elementary students will have the added opportunity to ‘adopt a grandparent’ to write to and send artwork to throughout the school year. The Elementary students plan to travel to The Country Home to sing for the residents during the winter holidays, and we aim to arrange more visits at other times during the year. In the spring, we also hope to collaborate in some seed raising and planting with the residents in their beautiful garden, and perhaps plan a day when MCA families can visit the home to help in the planting at a “Sunday Planting in the Garden Get-Together”. In addition, MCA staff will have the chance to visit The Country Home as part of their in-service days. There they will work with residents using the materials from the children, read, engage in conversation, and help with any simple tasks that might need to be done at the facility. Our goal is hope to support The Country Home in making their senior residents feel loved, respected, and cherished.

Meaningful Montessori Outreach and Outcomes
Perhaps one of the most exciting things about our partnership with The Country Home is the opportunity for our students and staff to assess firsthand how Montessori impacts the lives of the residents. By collecting personal reflections, stories, photos, and feedback from the residents and staff at The Country Home about their experiences with working with Montessori materials and interacting with our MCA community, we can follow the progress and hopefully confirm our belief that Montessori is beneficial across ages. We believe that Montessori can build a bridge between generations and provide a place where young and old can come together in a spirit of caring, comfort, creativity, and community.

We are so excited to engage in this partnership with The Country Home! Stay tuned for more updates of our activities throughout the year!

If you’d like to read more about the benefits of bringing Montessori into the lives of people with dementia, you might like reading the following articles online:

Camp, Cameron, Antenucci, V., Roberts, A., Fickenscher, T., Erkes, J., and Neal, T. “The Montessori Method Applied to Dementia: An International Perspective.” Montessori Life, Spring 2017. American Montessori Society, https://amshq.org/About-Montessori/Montessori-Articles/All-Articles/The-Montessori-Method-Applied-to-Dementia.

Hunstman, Mark. “Using the Montessori Method for Dementia.” alzheimers.net, https://www.alzheimers.net/montessori-method-dementia/.

MCA’s Top 10 List for Starting Back to School

Our MCA classrooms are ready to welcome you to the 2019-2020 school year!

It seems like the summer, once again, is passing by in the blink of an eye. And while some folks are eking out the most of their remaining vacation time, many teachers have already made their way back into their classrooms to start preparing for the upcoming school year. Now is actually the perfect time for parents and children to also begin to do some preliminary planning to help ease into the start of school in September. Below are some helpful hints shared by some of our MCA professional staff of things families can do now to build excitement and alleviate any stress about the upcoming school year.

1. For Parents First: Read through your Parent Packet and complete any necessary forms prior to the first day of school.
By now, our MCA families should have received their Parent Packets filled with information about the school year, the calendar, school policies, the Parent Handbook, and much more. Included in the packet are several forms which should be completed and ready to turn into the school office on or before the first day of school. Especially important are the medical forms, which were mailed earlier in the summer and are due back to school by August 26th. The State of New Jersey has very specific requirements about what schools must have on file before any student may enter the school building. Reading through this information and completing the necessary paperwork ahead of time will help parents be prepared for that first day of school.

2. Adjust activities at home.
One of the wonderful things about summer is the opportunity to have some ‘down time’ which often is missing from September through June as children’s days are filled with their time at school, which is often followed by after school enrichment activities, sports, homework, and very little ‘down time’. If the house rules for summer allow for more screen time—television viewing, computer games, etc. —it’s probably a good idea to trim those hours now. Instead, consider initiating a reading time (perfect for when parents are preparing dinner—children can read aloud while you cook or look at books silently nearby until supper’s ready). Or, engage as a family in a few more activities that require more concentration and focus—a large jigsaw puzzle, card games, or even art projects. Helping children return to tasks that need their full attention will help them when they enter or re-enter the classroom.

3. Start easing into a “school day” morning and evening routine.
A few weeks leading up to the first day of school is a good time to begin adjusting your family’s morning wake up times and evening bedtimes, which may have become a bit lax during the summer months. Knowing how early your family needs to get up to get through all of your necessary morning activities makes starting each school day so much easier. From brushing teeth and getting dressed to having a nutritious breakfast and making the morning commute, some families benefit from doing a ‘test run’ a few times to see if they can accomplish their morning rituals and arrive to school on time.

Equally important is establishing a healthy bedtime which ensures your child has adequate sleep for the busy hours spent at school. It’s not always easy to settle down for bed when the sun still hasn’t set in the summer, but even easing into a bedtime routine of listening to soft music or reading a few books in bed helps with this summer to school year transition.

4. Consider creating a family calendar.
One family activity you might consider is to create a school year family calendar. Many dollar stores sell wonderfully large calendars which you can customize with your own important information. After looking through the school calendar, mark important dates on the family calendar. Invite your child to decorate special event days with their own illustrations, or color-code the days of the calendar according to school days and days off from school. As children see some of the exciting activities that await them each month, their excitement about school may grow and override any nervousness they may be feeling about that first day.

5. Visit with friends.
Some of us have the best intentions to reconnect with friends and family during the summer when we think we have more time to get together only to find that we’ve blinked and haven’t had a chance to do so! If your child hasn’t seen neighborhood friends or former classmates over the past few months, now is a nice time to reconnect. If you know some of the children who will be in your child’s class for the upcoming year, having them come together at a local playground might be enough to spark that joy of returning to school to see old friends and make some new ones, too.

6. Attend “Meet the Teachers Day”.
If you’ve created a family school calendar, then you’ve marked the date for “Meet the Teachers Day” already! At MCA, parents and children together visit their new classroom, receive their lists of necessary school supplies, and meet their teachers face-to-face.
Meet the Teachers Day is followed by a “Phase-In” (see your Parent Packet for details), aimed at helping to alleviate any separation anxiety and providing the children with a smooth transition into their new school environment. Meet the Teachers Day is just one part of the orientation to school where the children acclimate both socially and emotionally to being apart from their parents and begin to take part in all aspects of their classroom community. At home, use your child’s teachers’ and classmates names in conversations, and begin to initiate conversations that are related to school.

7. Take your child shopping for school supplies.
Allow your child to get excited about going back to school by bringing him or her with you when you go shopping for any needed supplies or a special first day of school outfit. Giving your child the freedom to pick out his or her backpack and lunch box will also create a sense of ownership around these items, which will inherently point your child in the direction of being responsible for his or her things. Now is also a good time to remember to label all items with your child’s name.

8. And while you’re shopping, consider making a grocery list for lunches!
Sometimes planning for mealtimes is the most stressful part of a busy school or work day. Get a jump start on this and together with your child, create a list of things your child would like to have packed in his or her lunch each day. Creating a one or two week schedule of meals that can rotate may alleviate any of the issues your family may have regarding food. Keep in mind your school’s nut-safe policies, your child’s personal tastes, and what is important for a healthy lunch that will sustain your child for the afternoon.

9. Separate your anxieties about separation from your child’s.
Whether this is your first child heading off to school or your fourth, it is normal for parents to have some hesitation about leaving their children in the care of others. As parents ourselves, we at MCA know the internal struggles of sending our children off to school. We also know that our children will thrive and grow in their school settings, and that our children’s schools are nurturing, safe, and enriching places for our children to be!

In order to assist our children in making a smooth transition, it is important for us, as parents, to put forth a positive attitude and send our children off with a big smile, a brief hug, and assurance that we are looking forward to sharing stories about each of our days when we meet again after school and work. Your positive attitude helps your child sense that you believe he or she will be able to manage the school day just fine, and that positive attitude just might be contagious!

To help you maintain a smile before you say goodbye, take some time to reflect on the successes your child has exhibited in play groups or at other times when you were not right by his or her side. And be confident that should your child need some extra support, the teachers at MCA will help you both through this new transition and with becoming comfortable with a new school routine.

10. Consider starting a new ‘last day of summer vacation’ or ‘first day of school’ family tradition.
Again, using your family calendar, mark something special to do on the day before school starts or for that first day of school. Maybe it’s a special outing to a favorite nature spot, an end of summer ice cream treat, or a family splash in a pool. Or perhaps it’s a first day of school dinner picnic in the park, ride to a favorite bookshop to purchase one new book for bedtime, or an evening walk around the neighborhood in pajamas. Whatever you decide, make it something that will bring about a heightening happy anticipation to the start of school.

We can’t believe that the summer is almost over, but we are anticipating another wonderful school year ahead!! The MCA school calendar is filled with fun activities for everyone, starting with our Welcome Back Coffee. We hope you’ll mark your calendars now for our Parent Workshops and our highly anticipated night with guest speaker Dr. Robert Brooks, author of Raising Resilient Children, which was the featured selection for our MCA Parent Book Club last year. Our teachers are preparing their classrooms, just as your family is preparing for the new school year in your own way. To all of our new and returning MCA families, we look forward to seeing you in September!