Episode 25
Leveling Up to Kindergarten
Concerns surrounding the transition to kindergarten are commonplace among parents, particularly those of preschool-aged children. The podcast episode thoughtfully addresses these concerns, providing critical insights and practical strategies to alleviate the anxiety associated with this significant milestone. As a parent of seven, the host, David Owen, emphasizes that while various challenges will arise throughout a child's educational journey, the transition to kindergarten should not be a source of undue worry. Accompanied by esteemed guests, Elizabeth Hatcher, school counseling consultant, and Brooke Hampton, school counselor, the discussion delves into essential preparations that can ease both parents' and children's anxieties.
Guests:
- Elizabeth Hatcher, Cobb Schools Counseling Consultant for Elementary Level
- Brooke Hampton, School Counselor for Pickett's Mill Elementary School
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Transcript
Worried about your child starting kindergarten?
Speaker A:We're thinking of you in this episode of the Inside Scoop.
Speaker A:Hello and welcome back to the Inside Scoop.
Speaker A:I'm David Owen.
Speaker A:As a recovering parent of seven, I can tell you there will be plenty of things to worry about as they go through life.
Speaker A:But leveling up to big kids school should not be one of them.
Speaker A:I'm joined by two ladies with insights on the situation.
Speaker A:Elizabeth Hatcher, Cobb's school counseling consultant for elementary school level.
Speaker A:And Brooke Hampton, who is the school counselor for Pickett's Mill Elementary.
Speaker A:Ladies, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker C:Thank you for having us.
Speaker A:So this podcast is targeting those families and I'll just be candid, specifically those moms who are anxious.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:You got your baby, you've been taking care of them, nap time, all this stuff coming up to this point and suddenly it seems like we're looking at going to kindergarten.
Speaker A:Big kid school, mama's gotta get them out the door already and all that stuff.
Speaker A:So how can a parent prepare a preschooler for going to big kids school for attending kindergarten?
Speaker A:Who wants to tackle that one first?
Speaker C:Well, you mentioned one of the first things that we might want to talk about.
Speaker C:That nap time.
Speaker C:Oh yeah, that beloved nap time.
Speaker C:It's time to phasing out the nap time.
Speaker C:It is difficult for kids to start school used to that nap because there is no nap time in kindergarten.
Speaker C:So start phasing that out over the summer will be helpful.
Speaker A:See, I keep trying to get them to give us nap time at work.
Speaker B:But they still want to.
Speaker C:That would be fantastic.
Speaker A:Those are some good days.
Speaker A:So nap time, that's a hard one because kids develop at different rates and need different things.
Speaker A:But once you hit that marker, you're saying there is no nap time or even just a restful few moments.
Speaker A:That's it.
Speaker B:Correct.
Speaker B:Sometimes after lunch they'll take a mindful minute or two to rest and digest, but no nap.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:That's so sad.
Speaker B:I know.
Speaker A:So what else?
Speaker A:I mean, that's a huge one right there.
Speaker A:What else can they do to help smooth the way in that transition?
Speaker B:So we also wanna look at their routines, so their bedtime routine, making sure that they're going to bed at a good time.
Speaker B:If you need to prepare anything the night before, incorporating your child in that to help increase independence, like helping pack their lunch or set out their clothes and then morning routine.
Speaker B:So in the summer we suggest before school starts starting, waking up your child at the time that they would get up to leave in for school so they could practice this Is the time I get up, I eat breakfast, I get dressed, and we go to school.
Speaker B:And doing a dry run, getting them in the car, driving to the elementary school, and then going home is always helpful.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:So how far in advance of that first day of school would you suggest that would be a good time to do that?
Speaker B:I would say a few weeks.
Speaker A:It doesn't hurt like two or three weeks to.
Speaker B:Yeah, that would be great.
Speaker B:And it helps reduce the child anxiety, too.
Speaker B:And probably moms and dads and all our caretakers.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:You mentioned the sleep thing as a preparation for going to kindergarten.
Speaker A:I would suggest that maybe it's more than just a preparation for kindergarten.
Speaker A:As a preparation for every daggum year.
Speaker A:The kids just have a tendency to stay up too late.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So getting them in a routine, that's important From K through 12, in my opinion.
Speaker A:You didn't ask for my opinion.
Speaker A:It's theirs that really matters.
Speaker A:So what other things can we offer as insights, tips for parents to get their child ready for that first day of kindergarten?
Speaker C:So some of the things that you will want to start thinking about is having them be a little bit more independent than you or they are used to that.
Speaker C:Independence includes things like being able to take your own coat on and off, your own shoes on and off.
Speaker C:You may or may not have your shoe tying down yet, and that's okay.
Speaker C:But being able to get them on and off and starting to learn that skill is important.
Speaker C:Another big one is we want to be potty trained by the time that we go to kindergarten.
Speaker C:That's really helpful.
Speaker C:Really helpful.
Speaker C:If you can make sure that may.
Speaker A:Be at the top of the list.
Speaker A:I would contend when you're talking about coat and shoes and all that, tying your shoe, obviously that's a skill set not every kid can master by kindergarten, but at least they're maybe well on their way or hopefully in velcroed shoes if they have troubles with that.
Speaker C:Fantastic idea.
Speaker A:Okay, so what would you say are the biggest challenges that kindergarten teachers face when they're receiving a new group of students each year?
Speaker B:Yeah, so we see a lot of difficulty with resilience.
Speaker B:And what I mean by that is, you know, of course, the rigor is a lot different compared to preschool or if they did anything at home.
Speaker B:So when a child is working on something and it doesn't come naturally to them, often what we're seeing is the child gives up, gets frustrated, it might escalate into what looks like a tantrum.
Speaker B:So practicing different resiliency opportunities at home is important.
Speaker B:And then independence, which is what Elizabeth touched on.
Speaker B:Being able to independently do those skills.
Speaker B:She said, unbuttoning, buttoning their pants, that's another one.
Speaker B:But also not feeling like an adult always has to be with them for them to accomplish anything that they should try first.
Speaker B:So both of those kind of go hand in hand.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:That's interesting.
Speaker A:A little self confidence goes a long way.
Speaker B:Yeah, definitely.
Speaker A:And these are so key because if a child needs help doing something, then that means the rest of the class is not getting the attention of the teacher.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker C:There can be 22 kids in a class, so two teachers.
Speaker C:There is a teacher and a paraprofessional that are in the kindergarten classes.
Speaker C:But for children that are used to having a lot of attention from an adult, that may be different for them realizing that they're going to have to share that adult's attention with a lot of other children.
Speaker A:Yeah, now you use the term share, and that's a hot button for me.
Speaker A:And the reason is it's one of those things that does not come naturally to human beings when we're born.
Speaker A:When kids go to a kindergarten class and I guess what, all of them have some form of pre K nowadays?
Speaker B:Most, yes, most.
Speaker A:So they're used to that socialization of other kids are in my life now and I have to learn how to get along with them.
Speaker A:Is that a thing that parents might be able to help with?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So opportunities for social skills is huge too.
Speaker B:So play dates is big.
Speaker B:You know, parents watching their child during play dates to see how they handle different interactions or if they don't get their way on something which ties back to the resiliency.
Speaker B:And just modeling that for the child.
Speaker A:Is important too, and give them options.
Speaker A:So we're talking about preparing the child in large part emotionally as well as, I guess, skill sets at that level.
Speaker A:But let's go to the parent side for a moment.
Speaker A:When we're talking about going to kindergarten, you don't just show up.
Speaker A:You have to register.
Speaker A:And it's been quite a while since we registered our children.
Speaker A:So my opinion has nothing, no value in this discussion, probably.
Speaker A:But I understand that kindergarten registration now is online.
Speaker C:It is, yes, that's right.
Speaker C:You can go to the Cobb County School District website and you will want to create account, an account within ParentVue.
Speaker C:Once you get set up in ParentVue, that is where you can register your child.
Speaker C:When you register your child, you're going to need several things, and this is all online, but you will need several things like your proof of Residency, which can be your lease or your home ownership certificate or paperwork.
Speaker C:You will need some current utility bills.
Speaker C:You will also need proof of birth date, which can come in a form of adoption papers, passport, birth certificate.
Speaker C:You will need some health forms, your typical ear or not ear, your typical dental, hearing and vision forms, immunization forms, those things that you can get through your pediatrician or health department.
Speaker C:And then you will also need your Social Security card or waiver.
Speaker C:And so those are the documents that you will need to get registered in ParentVue.
Speaker C:ParentVue is going to be a great source where you will spend some time.
Speaker C:That is going to be where you can check your child's grades, where you will find the report card.
Speaker C:That is going to be where you can pay for their meals.
Speaker C:You can go, there's a link in there to get their cafeteria balance.
Speaker C:Some other things that you might do in Parent View is sign permission slips.
Speaker C:That is now in Parent View.
Speaker C:Used to be, you know, they would come home and you'd sign a permission slip.
Speaker C:That's all in Parent View and the.
Speaker A:Kid would lose it.
Speaker C:So now that's all in place and.
Speaker A:Then you get a call.
Speaker C:So ParentVue is going to be a very important place for you to start.
Speaker A:A key part of parenting in this day and age.
Speaker B:Yeah, definitely.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:And by the way, when they're talking about Parent View, it's vue, not V I, E W.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:And now where can parents find that on the website?
Speaker A:I mean, this is a pop quiz, but do you know where that's located or should they just.
Speaker C:So when you go to the website on the left, there are several options.
Speaker C:Parent is going to be one of them.
Speaker C:And so you're going to click on Parent.
Speaker C:And then I believe that Parent View VUE is underneath that.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:And that's from the little hamburger menu they call three lines.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:And you mentioned some medical forms, so that means that parents really need to think ahead.
Speaker A:Before that.
Speaker A:I don't know if there's a.
Speaker A:I guess there's a deadline for registering.
Speaker C:Well, and there it will open pretty soon too.
Speaker C:I think it opens around March.
Speaker C:The date will open that you can begin registering your children for school.
Speaker A:And I wonder if maybe you have the answer to this, but the vision, hearing screenings and so forth, kind of the general things, could those be like a.
Speaker A:I'll just say doc in the box type doctor visit, or do they need their specific pediatrician to really any.
Speaker B:Registered doctor to complete it.
Speaker A:Alright, so wherever you can get an appointment quickly.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:And it can be within a year.
Speaker C:So if you've had your yearly checkup, your yearly checkup, your pediatrician would be able to provide those.
Speaker C:And then there's also the health department.
Speaker C:If you need to access the health department, they can provide those for you also.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Well, I've heard some parents talking about a lot of people overlook that medical form thing, and that causes a lot of anxiety.
Speaker A:So the fact that you're listening to this podcast and learning that you've had a win today, so that's a good thing.
Speaker A:Is there an anxiety thing that we see in children, like the separation anxiety?
Speaker A:I don't know if it's relevant at kindergarten age.
Speaker B:Very much so.
Speaker B:We see that every year still.
Speaker B:Yes, still.
Speaker B:Sometimes from the child, sometimes the parent.
Speaker A:And it's contagious, too.
Speaker A:I'm sure the parent starts crying and the child gets unnerved.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So I know that the school district does some preview things at other ages.
Speaker A:I presume so.
Speaker A:As well.
Speaker A:For kindergarten.
Speaker A:Can you offer some insights about Pickett's Mill often?
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker B:So at Pickett's Mill, we're the Pirates.
Speaker B:So we have a day called Pirates.
Speaker B:I know we have a day called Pirate Preview.
Speaker B:And the parent and the rising kindergartner will come with.
Speaker B:And the kindergartner actually has an opportunity to go into a classroom and mingle with the other kindergarteners while the parent stays in the cafeteria and gets a presentation on our school.
Speaker A:Oh, wow.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And so that's a great opportunity not only for the parent to sit and listen, but for the child to also see what a classroom's like, socialize all of those things.
Speaker B:And then, of course, at the end, the parent will grab their child and they get some cookies and milk.
Speaker B:So it's a fun treatment, Positive reinforcement.
Speaker B:Yeah, A little treat.
Speaker B:So that really helps with our parents.
Speaker B:So they can see the school and what everything's like, but then the child too.
Speaker B:So it's their first day of school.
Speaker B:Isn't their first time in a classroom like that?
Speaker A:That's one less thing to worry about, Right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I know that the district offers a transportation option.
Speaker A:I think they call it Kindergarten Ride along.
Speaker C:That sounds right.
Speaker A:Where the parents and the child go together on a school bus, which I think is brilliant because it's reinforcing the.
Speaker A:This is a good experience to be on a school bus.
Speaker A:And a lot of kids are looking forward to getting to ride the big yellow cheese.
Speaker A:So is that a school by school thing, or is that something that parents maybe need to kind of stay tuned into the district's website to learn about.
Speaker C:Stay tuned into the district's website.
Speaker C:That will be on there along with the meet and greet.
Speaker C:All schools will have a meet and greet the first few days before school starts.
Speaker C:Those dates for the bus ride, the ride along and the meet and greet are set by the school district.
Speaker C:Other things like Brooke was mentioning are set by schools.
Speaker C:So I would suggest that you log onto your school's website to get plugged into some of their social media to learn more about what your specific local school will be doing.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's huge.
Speaker A:I think we had a podcast on staying plugged in and that's a huge part of it.
Speaker A:I remember one time getting to follow one of those ride along days.
Speaker A:They do it big in some cases there was a high school band there playing when the kids were getting off the bus and learning how to ride the bus safely and you know, not just run across the street but wait till the driver says come over.
Speaker A:And that's all important stuff.
Speaker A:Very cool.
Speaker A:But that's also just obviously for kids who are going to be riding the bus.
Speaker A:So car rider.
Speaker A:I know a lot of parents are probably debating should I drive my child, should I let them ride the bus?
Speaker A:And that's a struggle because on one hand the bus seems scary to begin with.
Speaker A:You're letting go of your child onto the school bus.
Speaker A:But also the car rider line can be a real headache at child at times.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker A:So how can parents weigh that and more than that, how can they feel like their children, their child is safe regardless of whether they are getting on the bus or doing the car rider line?
Speaker A:How do they know?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So there are several options on how you might send your child home.
Speaker C:You might be a bus rider, you might be a car rider, you might be a walker.
Speaker C:There are several daycares that come to the school with their daycare vans to pick the children up to take them to off site daycares.
Speaker C:And then many schools offer after school programs or asp.
Speaker C:Whatever you decide is going to be what fits your family and your schedule.
Speaker C:Whatever you do decide, you will let the school know and the teacher know how you would like your child to go home through something that is new this year called Go Safe.
Speaker C:Go Safe is again going to be back in parent view that all important parent view that's going to have many things that you will need.
Speaker C:Also has GoSafe within Go safe.
Speaker C:You can choose how your child is going to go home and that can change.
Speaker C:Monday might be, excuse me, Monday might be a car rider.
Speaker C:Tuesday Might be a bus rider Wednesday might need ASP.
Speaker C:You can change that, but only until about 1:30.
Speaker C:All transportation changes have to be in that go safe by 1:30.
Speaker A:That makes sense because if you are waiting till the last second now, I guess really the biggest benefit of this GoSafe app is the ability to, well, I'm sorry, flight of ideas going on here because of child experiences.
Speaker A:The ability to directly communicate with the front office that for example, my child is going home with another child today at the end of the day on Bus xyz, you can send that notification to them and you don't have to worry that your child hasn't given the note to the teacher who then gives.
Speaker C:The note to, you know, and on that along those lines too.
Speaker C:Remember that emails and phone calls are not accepted for safety reasons.
Speaker C:So it does need to go through that go safe because it could be.
Speaker A:Anybody on the other end.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:Okay, so.
Speaker A:And quite frankly, I'll just go ahead and spill the beans here.
Speaker A:We're going to have a focus on apps and how we have developed our own apps to make sure your child is safe leaving school and on field trips.
Speaker A:Even so, there are some real cool things that our technology folks are doing now.
Speaker A:A while ago you mentioned ParentVue, but I know that in the higher grade levels, CTLS plays a huge role.
Speaker A:Ctls, again, if you're a new parent to COBB schools, it's the COBB teaching and learning system and it plays a huge role in terms of the parent being able to stay on top of what the student's doing, the teachers having resources, gosh, millions of resources for their teaching and cross collaboration and all this stuff.
Speaker A:So is CTLS an important thing at the kindergarten level?
Speaker A:Is that something they need to check in on?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So our kindergarten teachers often use CTLs in place of their blogs.
Speaker B:So they send out a lot of their communication that way.
Speaker B:And then teachers also use it for third party apps like Clever.
Speaker B:So the kindergartner actually gets to practice logging onto the computer, opening ctls and going where the teacher tells them, which is great exposure for as they progress through the grade levels.
Speaker A:Yeah, so they get used to it and it becomes a tool instead of a potential hindrance.
Speaker A:So as I mentioned from the intro, I have lots of kids that have gone through the school system and when you have, especially when you have large groups of kids to get ready in the morning at one time, that can be a real challenge.
Speaker A:One time saver that I found was the fact that schools offer meals right at breakfast.
Speaker A:Specifically, you don't have to prepare breakfast for them.
Speaker A:You can just simply make sure they're dressed and teeth brushed, hair combed and out the door kind of thing, right?
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker A:So can you tell us a little more about that whole side of things?
Speaker A:The breakfast and free and reduced lunch or meals, I guess, is a thing.
Speaker A:Can you address some of those things.
Speaker C:Again back to that parent view?
Speaker C:That will be parent view.
Speaker C:Yeah, that will be an option to go to my payments plus, which is where you are going to pay for your meals.
Speaker A:And that's within parent view.
Speaker C:That is within parent view.
Speaker C:It's one of the tabs over on the left.
Speaker C:And I know because I did it yesterday.
Speaker C:Within that is also where you can apply for your free and reduced lunch.
Speaker C:And then if you ever have any questions with that, your cafeteria managers are happy to help walk you through that process.
Speaker C:Because we want to make sure that all children have the opportunity to eat breakfast and lunch.
Speaker C:Breakfast is every morning.
Speaker C:It starts when the doors open.
Speaker C:I used it.
Speaker C:You know, my kids came to school with me, so being at School at 7 o'clock was a little early, so it was great for them.
Speaker C:They could just go down to the cafeteria and enjoy a hot breakfast or some cereal.
Speaker C:And then lunch is an option every day.
Speaker C:Also, usually a couple of options are offered and you can find the menu online.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Our food and nutrition services are phenomenal, folks.
Speaker A:They really do a great job.
Speaker A:And that saved my bacon many a time having that breakfast available.
Speaker A:So is there anything else that you guys want to add as a tip for these parents who were nervous, but maybe now are feeling a little bit better about sending their child to kindergarten?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:The biggest tip that we always stress to parents is your child watching you.
Speaker B:So they're watching to see how you react on that first day drop off or even leading up to the first day of school.
Speaker B:So just making sure you're intentional with your facial expressions, your reactions, and just be excited so your child can be excited even if they're a little bit nervous.
Speaker B:And when you drop off, big hug.
Speaker B:I love you.
Speaker B:Today's gonna be great.
Speaker B:And then go, yeah.
Speaker B:When we linger that, a lot of times we see more separation anxiety and it's harder for the child to leave the parent.
Speaker B:So just big hug.
Speaker B:It's gonna be great.
Speaker A:And then it's gonna be an adventure.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Because when you linger, it signals hesitancy and that's very important.
Speaker A:I'm glad you remembered to chime in on that.
Speaker A:Well, thank you ladies so much for coming in and sharing these tips.
Speaker A:I know they're going to find everything you've offered to be super helpful.
Speaker A:So thank you so much.
Speaker A:If you heard something helpful here, make sure you like, subscribe and share it with an anxious friend.
Speaker A:Thank you for listening to the Inside Scoop, a podcast produced by the Cobb County School District.
