When it comes to good advice on how to prepare children for pre-school, there is a wealth of info-rmation available. But, it is often forgotten that the parents need to be equally well prepared, because their attitude and state of mind affects the child profoundly.

Make a mutual decision on the age you admit your child to pre-school: 50% of a child’s adult intel-ligence develops in the first 4 years. By the time she is 2 yrs old, the child needs a wider, more inter-esting and stimulating atmosphere than home in order to develop optimally. In fact, age 2 is ideal for joining a pre-school. This helps the child get the right exposure at the right time and her adjustment

to the outside world is much quicker. So talk it over and take a mutual decision.

Choose the pre-school with care: The foundation of your child’s life is laid in the pre-school. So your choice is crucial. Select a pre-school which matches your ideas on child-development. Go-od infrastructure, lots of space, quality equipment, expertise, dedication and love of the tea-chers, scientific curriculum, co-curricular activities and importantly, the kind of peer group your child will have, these are a few things you need to check out. Once you make the right decision, you’ll find that most of your worries are set to rest.

Keep calm and stress-free: Letting go of your child for the first time, even for a short while, can be both exhilarating and worrying. It is only natural that you should feel a mixture of emotions. But don’t let your child bear the burden of your tension. Your worries are easily transferred to the child’s sensitive mind and will just worsen her anxiety.

Trust the pre-school to know its job: A good pre-school knows its job. It will take care of the child’s nutritional needs, toilet training, behaviour in class, etc. You need to give time to the child to settle down. It is the teacher’s job to develop a rapport with the child and make her feel secure and enjoy the time at school.

Be ready to deal with the changes: All kids feel a little lost when they go to school for the first time and tend to cling a little. But good pre-schools are expert in taking care of this transition phase. Soon enough you will find your child looking forward to going to school. The important thing is for you to change and grow as a parent along with your child. Be interested in all the little things she is learning. Be prepared to give her more space and independence. Be proud of her little achievements and ensure that you maintain good communication bonds with the school and her teachers. This is the time where you can fully participate in developing individuality of your child.