The Meet Hope Podcast
The Meet Hope Podcast
123: Hello, Preschool! A Parent's Guide to Preschool Readiness
Are you a first time parent with a little one who is quickly getting bigger? Wondering about all the big next steps such as preschool? Join in for this episode with Amanda Cavaliere of Tomorrow's Hope Preschool to hear her talk with our podcast producer (and preschool parent!) Ashley Black about when and how to choose a preschool program that is right for your kid! If you feel like you have no idea where to start, you are not alone! Be sure to subscribe and share this episode with a friend who has a toddler/soon to be preschooler!
NOTES:
- Check out Tomorrow's HOPE! - https://www.meethope.org/tomorrows-hope
Thanks for being a part of the HOPE community as we continue conversations about faith and hope! You can learn more at meethope.org or find us on socials @meethopechurch. Join in for worship on Sundays at meethope.online.church! Have a question? Contact us at podcast@meethope.org.
Enjoy what you heard? Be sure to rate us on Apple Podcasts and click the subscribe button so you don't miss new episodes every Monday!
Welcome to the Meet Hope Podcast, where we have conversations about faith and hope. Hope is one church made of people living out their faith through two expressions in person and online. We believe a hybrid faith experience can lead to a growing influence in our community and our world for the sake of others. Welcome to Hope.
Speaker 2:Hi everyone, welcome to the Meet Hope podcast. My name is Ashley Black and today I'm excited to be here with Amanda Cavalieri. Hey Amanda, hi Ashley, how are you doing? I'm great thanks. So we always talk about when you're on the podcast, that you have multiple roles here at Hope, but today we're going to talk to you as the director of Tomorrow's Hope Preschool.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 2:That sounds good, but just in case this is someone's first time listening, give us a 10-second little intro of yourself.
Speaker 3:Sure, so I have been the director of Tomorrow's Hope for the past 10 years and I have two kids of my own who both went through Tomorrow's Hope, but now are both teenagers and before they went through preschool I was a first grade teacher for 10 years. So I've seen kids on the teacher end, the parent end and now as a director end at this early childhood stage, and I just love this age.
Speaker 2:Oh, we love that. You love them so much, specifically as a parent. So I'm talking to you as our podcast producer, but also as a parent. So I have two kids who are 18 months and four years old, and my four-year-old has been at preschool now for three years. He's going into kindergarten, which I can't believe.
Speaker 3:I can't either. He was just in toddler circle. It feels like.
Speaker 2:Right, and so preschool has just meant so much to us. And recently I was thinking about you and I were talking about different parenting podcasts to do, and one that I had asked you if you'd be willing to do was one about preschool in general. Why preschool? What is preschool Like? How do you decide, make all those decisions as a parent?
Speaker 2:Because one thing Chris and I often joke about is you know, with Kale we're figuring it all out for the first time and there isn't like. I mean, there's tons of books and podcasts and whatever, but everybody does something different and sometimes we don't realize like we should be doing something until we talk to somebody else and they're already, they've been doing something for a while, and then we go should we have done that? Should we be doing that right now? Should we have already signed him up for something you know like? And so it's the first kid, right, and it's like, and it's okay that everybody's making different decisions and doing things different, but it's really easy to get caught up in like am I doing the right thing for my kid? Sure, and that's not a great like place to like live in all the time, but also you want to do like the best by your kid? Absolutely, and so that's why we're here today. So, amanda, let's start with. Why preschool? So why would you suggest someone starts looking into preschool for their very little one?
Speaker 3:That's a great question and I'm going to say it's got a two-prong answer. First, is for the child, right, which is obviously the obvious answer. And when we talk about preschool for the child, it's not. Preschool is not a state requirement, right? Right, it's an extra. But really what preschool is for in its best element is for social, emotional development right, yeah. I'll give parents tours sometimes and they'll say my child is so smart, you know, he can speak seven languages and he knows the alphabet backwards and forwards and can do four digit long division.
Speaker 2:We all think our children, our child is the best child.
Speaker 3:And then you meet the kid, and the kid can't pull up his pants and eats boogers for lunch, you know. So it's like we don't need to look at the academics when they're two and three and four. What we want to focus on is the social, emotional piece, those things that they can't learn at home, right? So what can't we learn at home? We can't learn how to separate from our grownup at home, right, that's a big life skill. Right To know that.
Speaker 3:I can go someplace, have fun and be safe and that my grownup comes back. That's a skill, right. How to share toys with multiple people If there's an only child at home, or an only in a baby, you know, most often these, these kids come to preschool. They really don't have to share a whole lot, um, and that's a life skill. How to wait my turn. How to um ask for help, right. How do I ask somebody?
Speaker 2:else for help, right when mom and dad aren't there? Like just meeting your needs because they're used to it all the time?
Speaker 3:Yes, how do I advocate for myself in a group of 10,? Right, those are things that can't be learned at home. So if you are looking for social emotional development, preschool is a great first place to start. The other reason why preschool is so important is because it helps parents to develop a community, and you've spoken to that so clearly. Of like. No, we don't want to always be comparing and looking around us, but also, parenting is hard. It's a thankless job and it is so helpful to meet other parents going through that same stage. So when your kids are in the same class as nine or 10 other kids, there's a whole set of other parents that you get to know just by waiting in line when you're picking them up or coming to back to school night, and having conversations with these parents helps you affirm and reaffirm what you're doing at home. Right, you're not the only one.
Speaker 2:Yes, I mean, that is what I tell people specifically when they start looking at toddler circle, which is something you do at preschool, that I always say.
Speaker 2:That for me was like one of the first moments, specifically because I had Kale in 2020.
Speaker 2:So we were a pandemic family and so community has taken a little bit longer, and I always say that, being in that community and since then, in every class he's been in in preschool there have been so many moments where I have felt lost better as a mom because I've, because I've either had to, I've had a conversation with another parent of like, oh, you're going through that too, or oh, how are you guys handling that?
Speaker 2:Or oh, your kid said that too, or your kid did this too, or I've watched it play out in real time. So, you know, maybe mine is having a tough morning on the way there and we get it together, but then, maybe during like toddler circle, another kid has a tough time and and I watch that parent, you know, grace, graciously, navigate their child having a difficult time, and then I feel like, oh, I'm not the only one whose kid is having a tough morning, you know, like those kind of moments where we get to kind of do be parents in front of each other have been really meaningful to me Because also, every, every single time, all the other parents have been like hey, it's okay, us too. Like.
Speaker 2:Oh, let me tell you what happened yesterday, you know Like, and so that has meant so much because, yeah, sometimes parenting can feel like it's happening. It's happening next to people, but also in isolation, um and so being able to just connect with other families has meant a lot.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean, we parent best when we parent in community. So preschool provides the community for your child, it provides professionals who can help you and it provides just other parents to go alongside you, and all of those things are beneficial in our parenting journey. So when?
Speaker 2:when do we know it's time? When do you start looking? When do you know it's time for your kid to do preschool?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so there's not a hard and fast age or number and every child is different, right? So this is one of those things that, as a parent, you get to decide, right, because it's not, it's not a law that when they turn three they have to go to preschool. So what you want to be looking at is what is best for your family and, you know, some families choose a preschool where they they are two parents working full-time and they need, you know, they need full-time care, so they're looking more at a daycare, like seven to six kind of thing. Some have grandparents, they're watching the child during the day, and preschool offers just a break, you know, or a break for a stay at home parent, you know, just here's three hours where you can go to the dentist or go to the grocery store or just have a cup of coffee drink the whole thing.
Speaker 2:Like you said, it's good for them and it's good for you to have the mental break.
Speaker 3:Yes, and so, like we do start. You mentioned toddler circle, that is, a parent child class. So that's 18 to 36 months. So for those parents who are like I don't know if I'm ready, I don't know if they're ready, it's a great introduction to school with you for a short hour and a half. But then we start our program. Our license program starts at two and a half, and because we find that two and a half is that first stage where they are starting to be ready to not just have some parallel play but have more interactive play with other children, and it's they're all in this potty training season, so they're learning independence in different ways and getting to school is one of those ways. And there is this great scripture. I know that children are a gift from the Lord. This comes out of Psalm 127, but it also talks about how children are like arrows in a warrior's hand.
Speaker 3:They are, and how joyful is the man or woman who has a quiver full of them.
Speaker 3:Right, like, our children are arrows and we, as a parent, our job is to launch them into the world, and we might want to hold on to those arrows for as long as possible, right, but we have to remember and it's really really hard to remember when our kids are babies and two and three and four that we are raising adults and so that at some point, these babies, these arrows, are going into the world.
Speaker 3:They are not ours to hold on to all the time. Right, we can love them forever, but we eventually have to launch them into the world, and so the best way to do that is to do that gradually, right? Um, that we are going to kind of like I'd like to say let the rope out slowly, and so, at every age and stage, is looking at what's the next thing that I can help them develop, and, and just a little at a time, a little at a time, a little at a time, versus like let the whole roll out, and so, going to going to preschool, even if it's just two mornings a week for three hours, that's six hours in a week, which really, when you look at, a whole week is not a whole lot.
Speaker 3:It can feel like a lot when you first start to do it, but then it's not, and then you realize, as the parent, you're like that three hours was the fastest three hours of my life, right, I mean yeah, yeah, but those, that is the first way to let that rope out. Okay, let's, let's put them in a loving, nurturing, play-based setting with the trusted adults where they can. They can just learn how to play with other kids. Right, there is a little bit of a skill and a little bit more, and a little bit more is a great way to help our kids grow into these adults, we'll be launching into the world.
Speaker 2:So if I'm thinking about sending my two and a half, or maybe even three, whatever age we're thinking about when should I start looking and making those decisions?
Speaker 3:Sure. So for us here we start in the winter, before the upcoming school year. So we always open enrollment in the fall or in the winter for the fall.
Speaker 3:So we started in January and really it's so important to go and tour schools, you know, go and visit multiple programs, bring your child with you. You know you'll get a feel as soon as you walk into a classroom, into a hallway Um, if it's right for you. Uh, again, you're going to be looking at what kind of hours do they offer that? What does our life need? Do we need half day? Do we need full day? Do we need early care? Do we need extended care? Do we want larger classes or smaller classes? Do we want faith to be a piece of their preschool development? Right, what does our budget allow? There's all sorts of pieces to this. And visit a bunch. Talk to the teachers, talk to other parents, if you can. I know social media always has different parent groups and they'll put out questions, because often when I give tours, I'll say to a new family how did you find us? And it's oh, we were on a group on Facebook and threw out a question.
Speaker 2:Yes, which I know as I manage Hope Social Media, that I'm always grateful for anybody that shouts us out in their local community Facebook groups because and a credit to you guys that often in what's up in Voorhees when someone says, hey, I'm looking for preschool, like I get, we get tagged so many times saying check out tomorrow's Hope, check out tomorrow's Hope.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, that kind of word of mouth is so helpful yes, um yeah, yes, um, so you mentioned like tour with your child, one of the things. So for me, and maybe just me as a parent, um and I've I've been grateful for other parents who are better at this whenever somebody says, do you have any questions, chris and I always like we could, we've started going what questions should we have? Yes, because we don't always know. So do you have any suggestions?
Speaker 3:of good questions to ask One question. I get a lot is tell us about your security, and I mean we hate to think that that's a thing, but it is a.
Speaker 1:Thing.
Speaker 3:And so you want to pick a school that is paying attention to that, because safety is first Discipline. Paying attention to that because safety is first right Discipline, you know. So asking the teacher or asking the director what do you do when my child doesn't behave? Now, we all like to think that our child behaves all the time, but that is not the case.
Speaker 3:And so how does a school handle discipline? I think that's a really important question to ask. Potty training, you know that's a question to ask. Different ages, different, different schools have different policies on that. Or what do you do if a child has an accident, that type of thing? If you have a child with an allergy or a medical need, you want to ask that type of question. You know how, how do we handle that here? How can you help my child best with that? Those are some that I think are important. Yeah, to ask it's all really helpful and I think that you know all families are going to have a little bit something different too, but those are the big ones that I get.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's really helpful, especially cause, like I was thinking about, you know, shifting into that preschool age, especially with a first kid, you're coming out of kind of like infant baby stage where, like all those are really valid questions and I'm and you're not necessarily my, I know, for me my brain wasn't necessarily all the way there yet in terms of like, oh, these are things we need to be thinking about. So having that script is helpful.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. You can ask about curriculum and if you do, I would say what you want to be hearing at this age is play-based. You want to know that the kids are moving around, that they're hands-on, that they are getting gross motor play, that they're getting fine motor development, that they're getting fine motor development, that we're talking about language development, phonological development, and that they are just playing, playing, playing.
Speaker 2:They learn through play, yeah, which I love and we love so much for our kid. So if we're wanting to do preschool and we're getting ready maybe we've even made the decision to end up for a kid for preschool how can I, as a parent, be preparing for preschool and preparing for that transition, both for my kid and also for me as a parent, because it's a big you mentioned we've talked about a couple of times now. It's a big change. It's a big change.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So it's a choice you make. So if you're making this choice, it's one we want to embrace with joy and excitement. Now, absolutely, there's going to be like I can't believe. You know, my child is and there's. There might be some sadness mixed in, right, but.
Speaker 3:But we want to be looking for the joy and excitement and we want to be sharing that with our kids, right, especially if it's their first time away from home. It's their first time away from their grownups. That can be scary and that's totally normal. But if mommy is saying a drop off, you know the child is saying I'm going to miss you and the mommy saying I'm going to miss you so much too, right, that doesn't help. But what you need and you can be missing that child, but the words might be I am so excited for what you're going to learn today. I can't wait to hear about it when I pick you up. We want to make sure that we are showing our kids that we have joy and excitement. We might miss them inside, and that's okay and but, but what we want to give them first is that you are going to have a great time and I can't wait to hear your meeting and I can't wait to hear what you're learning right?
Speaker 2:we want to be saving those tears for when, after they get in the building yeah, yes, which I, I totally understand, and I I have the privilege of working here, but I still, we still drop kale off, just like every other kid gets dropped off, and I remember that first day of drop off and pulling away and being more emotional than I expected to be and still, like you know, yeah, wanting him to know that, hey, we trust the people that are here that you're going to be with and we're excited that you're going to get to know them and they love you so much.
Speaker 2:And just to speak to Tomorrow's Hope, which I was going to ask you to share a little bit more about Tomorrow's Hope in general, but you know, one of the things that you mentioned, that joy and excitement, one of the you guys do so many wonderful things, in my opinion, but one of my favorite things is that every morning, without fail at pickup, whatever teacher gets my kid out of the car, they're excited to see him and they engage with him and like it never feels like oh, we gotta start another day with all these kids.
Speaker 2:You know, like the parents were like okay bye. You know, but like I'm just always so um grateful and often emotional at how they're, even if he's had a tough day the day before. Like they're always like hey bud how you, you doing, how was? Soccer last night. What did you do? How was your birthday? You know like they, they always bring that joy and excitement from the moment the day starts.
Speaker 3:So yeah, so the kids are going to follow your lead as a parent, right.
Speaker 3:So if you have that they're going to have, that helps them to build that confidence too. Mommy thinks I can go do this, I can do this too, right, I can do hard things. The other thing is is it's so important to be setting boundaries at home, right? If, if your child is is not used to hearing the word no or not right now or in a few minutes, and they come to school and there's going to be boundaries at school, right, but there has to be if we're going to have any learning.
Speaker 2:Learning and safety, and organization.
Speaker 3:And so you know, the first time a teacher is going to say you know we're doing a lesson on animals and the kid's going to say well, I want to learn about dinosaurs, or I want to learn about, I want to go play blocks. Well, this is what we're doing today, and you know, there can be meltdown, or there can be sadness, or we're not going to play with that toy right now. The more that they know at home oh, I have boundaries at home too it helps them to come into a school setting, knowing that, oh yes, sometimes the answer is yes and sometimes the answer is no yeah or not.
Speaker 2:Yet yes, and as a, as a parent, I have found it helpful that then they also come home with new language, that then we it helps us learn too like, so, you're talking about the toys. What I was thinking about was Kale would sometimes come home and say, oh, we couldn't play with the trucks today. They were sleeping because they were like covered up and that. But that became helpful language because I'd be like oh yeah, we can't do that right now. The dolls are sleeping or we have, you know, like little things. That he would come or like when he started learning like thumbs up, thumbs down, choice, or that he would come home and teach us. And it became this helpful language for our family as well.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, so absolutely and the most. And if you ever have a question you talk to teachers. You know that communication is so important to go back both ways.
Speaker 2:So, before we wrap up, tell us a little bit more about Tomorrow's Hope specifically. So how do we enroll and all of that? Yeah us a little bit more about Tomorrow's Hope specifically.
Speaker 3:So how do we enroll and all of that? Absolutely so. Tomorrow's Hope is located in Hope Church Some people don't even know that, that we are kind of tucked in the back and our playground is surrounded by buildings. So some people don't even know we're here because you don't see us or hear us from the front of the building.
Speaker 3:We have our own little wing, but you will hear us if you come in the back, I promise. So that's where we're located. We do run the toddler circle class that we talked about. That's one morning a week and that's again. Any adult can bring a child to that, ages 18 to 36 months. Our preschool runs ages two and a half and we go all the way up through kindergarten and we are fully licensed. We have different days of the week and different class sizes, options that fit anybody. We are mostly a half-day program. We do have a four-year-old class that runs longer and our kindergarten does as well. We have our website, which can be found through the Hope main website. It's also tomorrowshopepreschoolorg and we always love to meet new families, give tours, chat on the phone. We have our Facebook page. So lots going on in the back.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. Is there anything else that you would want parents to know about preschool, or Tomorrow's Hope in general, or preparedness, or just anything else that we haven't touched on?
Speaker 3:We are a play-based preschool and we do integrate faith into everything we do, so we would encourage families that are looking for a program with smaller class sizes and a nurturing, loving, play-based, faith-based environment to check us out. We'd love to meet them Great.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you so much for doing this conversation with us, Amanda.
Speaker 2:I selfishly wish that I had done this conversation with you before we started preschool, but I'm hoping that it's helpful to new parents with their first kid or trying to figure it out. And if you're, I encourage you that then when you have your second, it's like no big deal. You're like I know how to do this. So, but you know, I mentioned I'm, you know I'm our podcast producer. But as a parent with a kid here at Tomorrow's Hope, we are incredibly grateful for everything that you guys do. We just feel like our child is so well loved and cared for. So thank you for all that you and our amazing teachers do. We're recording this. We have just come off teacher appreciation week and we just are happy to celebrate all of you.
Speaker 3:So thanks, Ashley.
Speaker 2:Thank you and, yeah, if you're a listener with us, we're so glad that you're here. If you can think of someone who might want to listen to this episode, please, please, share it with them. You can find a link to it on our website, at meethopeorg slash podcast, or in on our social media if you'd like to share it that way, or you can just text it to them. But we have new episodes every Monday, and so we hope that you will check us out next week as well. Be sure to hit the little subscribe or follow button in your podcast app, so that way, you get new episodes in your feed every Monday, and until then, we will see you next time.
Speaker 1:Thanks for being a part of the Hope Community as we continue our conversations about faith feed every Monday. And until then, we will see you next time.