Starting off 2022 brought some changes to our family as we left a beloved local co-op in Ann Arbor. After moving to Dexter 1.5 years ago we (finally) realized it made much more sense to find a local preschool for our 3 year old. I wasn't sure how the transition would go, we were so embedded in the community of our previous co-op, what would it be like to leave?
We toured the Dexter Co-op and my son absolutely fell in love with it. The giant gym was his favorite for sure, and I think we were all hooked after our 30 minute visit. Miss Jessica was warm and welcoming, and the classroom buzzed with the excitement of 3 year olds exploring. We signed him up that day!
As we approached day 1 of actual school, I was probably more nervous than my son. He had a hard time transitioning to school in the fall (after 2 years of pandemic life!) and was still struggling daily when we left his previous school. I had the opportunity to cover an assist shift for another family and was relieved that I wouldn't have to leave an upset child on day 1. The first day went great, and I had fun getting to know the other kids in the class. My son didn't really seem to care that I was there; he was joining the group, clapping and singing along to songs he didn't know yet. It was so exciting for me as a mama to see him feel right at home in his new class. He played on the bob-a-loo obstacle course, colored pictures, and played with every train and vehicle he could find in the classroom. At the end of the day, he said he wanted to go to school every day. I nearly lost it in the parking lot seeing my kid absolutely beam talking about his positive experience at his new school!
Day 2 came, and he was more hesitant than I expected after having so much fun the first day. He even cried a bit in the car so I wasn't sure how drop-off would go. When we got into the classroom Miss Jessica came right over, knowing that he might struggle with the first day of me not staying. He was so comfortable with her and gave me a quick hug before going to join Miss Jessica and several friends playing trains. No tears, no fit...was this my child? I left both feeling thrilled he was loving it and also a little unsure of what to do with the pile of worries I had collected leading up to a smooth drop-off. I came to pick him up 10 minutes early and saw him on the playground. I got a "hey mom" wave but he wasn't interested in stopping his play to come see me. Miss Jessica said he had an awesome day. Later, when I convinced him we did in fact have to leave school at some point, he recounted his exciting day of story time, art, and of course gym as we drove home.
And here I sit writing this after a third successful day at Dexter Co-op thinking about how some things are just meant to be. I was so worried about the transition, but my worries could not have been proven wrong more quickly. Although it's only been three days, I'm shocked at how much he seems completely at home. I'm so excited to see him thrive, grow, and learn as the rest of this semester unfolds.