Thoughtful Transitions

Transitions are all around us, aren't they? Transitioning to a new school, new job, new baby, new car (even if it's used, hey, it's new to us!)... We are always in transition. So, if you're in transition, I can relate! I still remember the rush of things I had to get used to as a new mom a few years ago. I went from having a full time job, a career of my own, to facing budget cuts and lay offs (me!), and awaiting the biggest transition of mine and my husbands' lives at the time, having our baby. Later, I transitioned to going back to school, having a second baby, and getting back into a full-time job... all at the same time! (And don't ask me how many times we moved. Honestly, I think I lost track.) Should I say, chaos? Well, it was a happy chaos that I could live with.

Years later, I now find myself transitioning again, feeling like I'm going back to that square one - my husband and I found ourselves making the choice for me to stay at home and start a family child care and to be able to stay at home with our girls (now 2 and 4). I find myself working to create a routine that works for my family and for the children I'll be caring for. This is challenge #1 for me. I'm routine resistant - I create routine, and then I break it. It's one of those "rules are meant to be broken" for me. However, it's not just about me, and I know that my girls need that predictability in their lives, and so, routine it is! And it's benefiting me, too. I can't remember the last time I consistently had 3 meals (and 2 snacks!) a day - not to mention healthy food and not take out!

My challenge #2 is my environment. I'm used to my environment being ever changing, and this is certainly no different. I was so proud when I set up my environment for my child care - I felt it looked so beautifully staged and inspiring - until I opened the door and my two little beta testers scampered in and immediately began revealing to me the flaws in parts of my design. Bubble officially bursted.  I do realize, though, that a good environment is so crucial to avoiding challenging behavior - whether it be for my girls, or even me (a comfortable, adult-size chair will need to be my first investment for the playroom... one week of sitting in 2 ft. high Dora the Explorer chairs has not done my back much good).

Finally, my challenge #3 is making it fun. Did I mention earlier how I was back at school, working full time, caring for my kids (and occasionally my husband), and trying to make time to volunteer at church (I'm getting dizzy already as I type this out just thinking about it)? I have to admit. I fell into some bad habits. I often felt very rushed, and in my "feeling-rushed-edness," I rushed others. Bedtime routines very much became chores. Dinnertime was a chore. Cleaning was a chore. Even hellos and goodbyes even felt like chores. Some rougher days, anything keeping me from getting some sleep was a chore. I unwittingly sucked the joy out of what could be precious, enjoyable time together. So I'm retracing my steps backwards and seeking that joy I once had. I'm singing songs at handwashing time again. We parachute the blankets when making the bed. My family even tended the lawn together - more like the kids got muddier and muddier as mom and dad weeded and mowed - but I cannot describe how "together" we felt, how accomplished we felt, and what that did to my spirit. The photos featured were from that morning together - we were dusty, sweaty, and happy together. I'm certainly not where I want to be yet, but I feel I'm getting closer.

So what experiences have you had with transitions? Whether it be in your homes, classrooms, work? I hope that you, above all, can keep the joy in it and find a way to instill fun into your lives.

Blessings,

Adriana

P.S. This weekend, I'm doing a training on transitions for fellow early ed teachers in California. I'm excited to share some great resources I found. Something you will learn from me is that I'm a resource hoarder. At least I keep it digital (for the most part). Evernote and Gmail makes it possible for me to never throw anything away again.... Anywho, I thought I'd share below some links to various things I bumped into online. 

Resources for transitions:

Article on Transitions from Great Start Connect in Michigan

"Planning Transitions to Prevent Challenging Behavior" - an article by NAEYC

"Helping Children Understand Routines and Classroom Schedules" by CSEFEL

"Helping Children Make Transitions Between Activities" by CSEFEL

"Routines & Schedules: How to Help Your Child Transition Smoothly Between Places and Activities" by CSEFEL

"Scripted Stories Tip Sheet" by CSEFEL

"Social Emotional Scripted Story Guide" by the Tenessee Teaching Pyramid Team

Genesis - Building a Family Child Care

 

Welcome to my very first blog for Garland of Grace! It’s been an intense journey to get everything prepared in starting my very first family child care program - it’s not as simple as submitting an application to get licensed, installing a few child resistant locks, and then opening the doors. Coming from a job position where all we did was coach early childhood programs through the quality improvement process (with the goal largely being to reach national accreditation through NAEYC or NAFCC), I find myself checking what my goals will be, what will be in my environment, what my first investments will be in to improve the program, policies, etc… It’s a process - a challenging and rewarding process.

I grew up in a family child care home myself - my mother ran one for many years in the Bay Area, and when I was old enough, I became her assistant. I didn’t know then that my husband and I would take that leap of faith, and that I would find myself starting one as well - one that our own girls (ages 2 & 4) would get to participate in.

I have many lofty goals, but the main part is that I want children to learn to love to learn… did that make sense? Kids ought to love learning. In the first 5 years of life, learning is intrinsic, it’s what drives development - they are MOTIVATED to learn! Yet, more and more, kids are starting off in kindergarten unprepared, and sometimes, this means that children face so many challenges their first year of school that school becomes “hard” and they “aren’t good at it.” This should not be what children are feeling when they start school - they should feel capable, accomplished, talented. Much of this comes from the experiences they have in these early years. So goal number one is offering hands-on, fun learning experiences that are appropriate for each child - appropriate for their age and stage of development.

Every child deserves to have quality experiences early in life that will prepare them for being thriving, caring adults. My hope is that this program offers nothing less than that.