I am another one who actually prefers and promotes pre-visits and weaning UP to a full day before a child is actually left with me and the parent goes to work.

My handbook clearly indicates that prior to the 'start date' a child must come with parent to the program for at least TWO 2 hour play dates one in the morning and one in the afternoon so that the parent and child can be familiar with the 'routines' and so that I can see how the child is use to being soothed with the parent and so forth. I try not to have visits over 'quiet time' because for various reasons it is my LUNCH break and i do not want to be working over it entertaining a client and well having another 'adult' in the house during quiet time ALWAYS results in less sleeping even my SPOUSE gets the boot out of the house during quiet time because he 'talks to me' and the strange noise / voice for the kids tends to wake them up!

However when it comes to play dates I encourage the parent to be on the PROPERTY for these visits because their child cannot be in my 'ratio' unless they are paying for the space and often my program is still 'full' while I am doing play dates cause the leaving child is not quite done ... so I tell them to bring a book or magazine or their lap top and hang out in my living room out of site so that their child can be in the program so a short part of the visit 'thinking' that mom/dad has left so IF they are tearful I can attempt to soothe /comfort them and if 15 minutes pass and the child is NOT coping and getting more stressed than the parent can come 'back' to help the child learn that YES mama and dada ALWAYS come back when I am left here - and I wean up how long the second visit that the child is allowed to be left to 'cry' before the parent comes back.

I also do the same thing as Playfelt their first 'care' week where they are left here and paying for the space the first day is a part day and we wean up to the full day as the child gets more trusting that yes mama and dada do return ... I personally do not think it is healthy for a child to 'cry all day long' and find that doing the slow transition and having the parent THERE to come back allows the child to learn to trust my environment and ability to meet their needs much faster ...IME my newbies who are transitioned this way rarely cry for me except on those occasions where I miss their hunger / tired cues and they have to wait a moment for me to get their bottle ready or get the other kids engaged in something quiet so I can put them down for a nap however on the rare times where I have had to take on a cold turkey child - the first few MONTHS tend to be tear filled ... the children refuse to eat for me, the have a hard time sleeping and so forth cause they are so 'anxiety ridden' and do not trust me cause well there was no time for them or their parent to be 'at ease' within the program