For many parents who bring their children to programs like daycare, preschool or others on a regular basis, pickup or drop-off are some of the most stressful points in the day. Kids can be fussy at these times -- some don't want to leave their parents when being dropped off, while others on the flip side will be so engaged with their program or other kids that they won't want to leave when it comes time for pickup.
At Devlin's Child Development Center, we're happy to help with pickup, drop-off and other stressful crux points for any of our clients at our daycare, preschool or other child care programs. We know kids can be a bit difficult in these periods, but we have time-tested strategies that will help move things along and keep parents from dealing with major headaches every day. Using pickup as our test example in this situation, here are some basic tactics we commonly recommend for easing child stress and making the process simpler.
The best technique we've found here is developing a simple routine for pickup that your child can get used to over time. While they may struggle with it at first, this is one of those things that they'll eventually get the hang of as time goes on.
To start, find a designated spot for your child to sit or play during pickup. This can be at the table, in the hallway or even outside depending on their preference and your center's policy -- and our staff will be happy to help wherever we can.
Also, if your child has their own bag of toys that they like to bring with them during pickup (which is something we recommend), let them know that they need to keep these toys in that spot during pickup, and not with them. Depending on where this bag of toys is kept at your center, you can even help out by placing it back there for them when the time comes.
Over time, your child will get used to this or any other routine you put in place.
For many kids, an important part of the pickup routine involves reminding them that there are plenty of exciting prospects waiting for them at home once they're done with our programs.
Here are some examples of what we generally tell parents to talk about while helping a child along during their pickup routine:
For more on easing child pickup stress for daycare or any other child care location, or to learn about any of our programs, speak to the staff at Devlin's Child Development Center today.
