My Ride to Daycare will encourage you to speak with your child about the transitioning process between home, arriving at daycare and why you are leaving them at daycare. Talking with your child about this process will be very helpful to them. It will help them through the emotional roller coaster they sometimes feel during this transition from home to daycare. Your child is precious Choose a daycare wisely. Before committing to a daycare you should visit it for an extended time during the regular day to see how it operates. Bring your child with you Try to get a feel for the type of day your child will experience and observe how your child acts during the visit. This could help you to decide whether a particular daycare is for your child or not. Also observe how the workers and teachers interact with the children. Do you sense a sincere caring for the children? Daycare staff that truly cares for the children can be fairly easy to identify with some observation. You definitely want to leave your child in loving care Included in this I love My Daycare series you will find different aspects that occur at a typical daycare. Topics in this series will include: My Ride to Daycare, Playtime at My Daycare, Snack Time at My Daycare, Reading at My Daycare, Nap at My Daycare, Teachers at My Daycare, Circle Time at My Daycare to name a few. Be familiar with what takes place at the daycare your child is attending or will attend. Then take the time to talk about each aspect of the daycare with them to help them understand what will be taking place when they attend. It would be helpful to your child for you to regularly discuss with them how their experience at the daycare is going in each of these areas. It would also be good to talk with the daycare providers and find out how they will communicate with you about your child. A personal meeting with those directly working with your child is always the best. Newsletters through e-mail or hard copies keep you up to date with what is happening at the daycare. Portfolios are always a wonderful way to see what your child has been doing over the year and pictures or video that have been taken to show parents are always popular Find out what the daycare does so you can be a close part of your childs life at daycare. The idea for this book series came out of the experience from operating our own daycare as I have observed the children throughout the day and from having interactions with them. Children learn in a variety of settings at a well thought out daycare. There can be learning processes taking place even while preparing for naptime as children learn a new routine and what is expected of them. This can also be a calming time for the child as they take a rest from their busy day. These type things that are learned at an early age can have a valuable impact as the child grows toward adulthood. As a parent you want what is best for your child. Please choose a daycare wisely and one that will be friendly, loving and beneficial for your child. The last thing you want to do is worry about your child while they are at daycare or have a child that is upset each day because they do not want to go back. It is my hope that this series would be beneficial to you and your child as you read it together. Take the time to talk to your child about their experience at daycare. I am sure you will build some special memories together.