See You After Circle Time: Strategies to Support Toddlers' Transition to Group Settings

Abstract

Transition occurs when children move from activity to activity or from one program to another. Transition, however, can often create separation anxiety, especially for infants, since children are attached to their caregivers. This can lead to several behavioral or social problems, including being stressed, having separation anxieties or challenging behaviors. Thus, this study focused on observing children’s behavior within one infant and toddler program (ITP) during drop-off time on the first day of school. We first observed children’s and parents’ behaviors during the transition. Surveys, both hard copy and online, were sent out to ask for parents’ experience during first day of school and strategies they used to comfort their child. The goal of this study was to learn how families of toddlers experience the first day of school in a group program and help researchers, teachers, and parents better understand toddlers’ transitions to group care and identify strategies that may help families and children.