Before enrolling your child in preschool, share the information that will help the teacher keep them safe, understand their communication, and support their daily routines. Include what your child enjoys, where they need help, and which approaches work at home.
Arrange this conversation before the first drop-off. A short written overview gives the teacher something to refer to, while a private discussion leaves room for questions. Start with these details.
Your Child’s Interests and Current Abilities
Tell the teacher what draws your child into an activity. Perhaps they love building roads, retelling familiar stories, or sorting objects by color. Specific interests give the teacher a useful starting point for making a connection.
Describe what your child can do independently and what still needs prompting. “She recognizes her name but asks for help holding a pencil” is more useful than calling her advanced or behind.
RARE Learning’s preschool program includes individual attention and a personalized curriculum. Sharing concrete examples can help frame a conversation about an appropriate starting point. Include one meaningful goal, such as asking for help or joining an unfamiliar activity.
Health Information That Affects Daily Care
Discuss allergies, medical conditions, and any health needs that could affect classroom participation. Explain relevant symptoms your child has experienced and provide current instructions from their healthcare professional when needed.
For a diagnosed food allergy, share the clinician’s written care plan. Confirm how the program handles food, emergency medication, staff preparation, and communication with families. Medication arrangements need to be agreed upon before attendance begins.
Also mention glasses, hearing devices, feeding concerns, or physical restrictions. Distinguish a food preference from an allergy so staff understand the care involved.
Review RARE Learning’s enrollment and health information, which includes forms and health-related documents. Ask which paperwork applies to your child and chosen location, and confirm who will review it with you.
How Your Child Communicates
Share your child’s preferred name, its pronunciation, and the languages they hear and use regularly. Explain which language they understand most easily and how they communicate with unfamiliar adults.
A child might speak freely at home but use gestures in a new setting. Tell the teacher how your child signals hunger, discomfort, a bathroom need, or a request for help. Include familiar words, signs, pictures, or communication devices they use.
For children learning English, provide a few useful home-language words with their meanings. Describe abilities across all languages so the teacher has a fuller picture. Separately, explain your own preferred language for updates and whether you need interpretation for meetings.
Toileting and Other Everyday Routines
Be specific about bathroom independence. Explain whether your child recognizes the need to go, tells an adult, manages clothing, or needs help wiping. Mention accidents and any reluctance to use unfamiliar toilets.
Ask about the program’s toileting expectations and available assistance before committing to enrollment. Describing the support needed helps everyone plan realistically.
Share meal and sleep routines when they overlap with the session. A child who usually naps before pickup may need a different schedule from one who stays alert throughout the morning. Mention help needed with food containers, handwashing, or putting on a jacket. Focus on routines the teacher will actually encounter during class.
Separation Experiences and Ways to Settle
Tell the teacher whether your child has spent time with other caregivers and what previous separations looked like. Explain how they responded after you left, if you know, and what helped them feel comfortable.
Useful details include a familiar goodbye phrase, a favorite arrival activity, or a preference for watching before joining in. If a comfort item helps, ask whether it is permitted and how it would be used.
Agree on a manageable arrival routine together. Tell the teacher about recent changes that may make separation harder, such as a move or a new sibling. Share enough context to explain your child’s needs while keeping unrelated family details private.
Difficult Moments and What Helps
Describe observable behavior and the circumstances around it. For example: “When another child takes his toy, he sometimes pushes. Staying nearby and helping him ask for a turn has been useful.”
Mention patterns involving loud sounds, crowded spaces, unexpected changes, or messy materials. Explain early signs of distress, such as covering ears or becoming unusually quiet, and what helps your child recover.
Disclose safety concerns, including running away from adults or leaving an activity area. The teacher needs time to discuss supervision and support with the program director. Concrete information makes that planning possible and helps staff respond consistently from the beginning.
Developmental Supports Already in Place
If your child receives speech, occupational, physical, or other developmental support, explain the classroom implications. Include strategies that help them communicate, move comfortably, or take part in activities.
Where relevant, offer an Individualized Education Program, called an IEP, or an Individualized Family Service Plan, called an IFSP. Discuss the goals and supports most relevant to the preschool day, along with any consent needed for communication with outside professionals.
You can also share concerns while an evaluation is pending. Describe what you notice without trying to supply a diagnosis. Ask the director how support would be arranged in the classroom and how responsibilities would be coordinated with existing providers.
Family Contacts and Communication Preferences
Provide current emergency numbers, authorized pickup names, and the contact order staff should follow. Explain regular changes in pickup arrangements and submit any applicable custody documents through the program’s designated process.
Share family or cultural practices that affect participation, such as dietary requirements or preferences around celebrations. Explain what the teacher needs to do in practical terms.
Agree on a reliable channel for routine messages and a separate process for urgent concerns. RARE Learning’s curriculum philosophy describes parent involvement and progress reporting. Ask how those updates work at your location and when you can discuss your child’s adjustment after starting.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I share this information?
Raise needs that require planning during the enrollment conversation. Submit required forms by the program’s deadline and arrange a teacher discussion before your child’s first day.
Should I bring records from a previous preschool?
Recent progress notes or successful support strategies may be useful. Ask what the new teacher needs and arrange any required permission before records are transferred.
Is email appropriate for sensitive details?
Ask which communication method the program uses for confidential information. Detailed medical records or family documents may need a secure submission process or private meeting.
Should my child attend the trial and enrollment meeting?
Ask whether part of the visit can include your child. Arrange a separate adult conversation for sensitive concerns so you can speak openly and give your child a comfortable introduction.