Quote Originally Posted by Alphaghetti View Post
After having done several transition and non transition starts, I have to say that I am not a fan of transition days. I don't feel it lessens the "trauma" of separation - except perhaps for the parent.
I do of course honour parents' requests if they wish to do transitioning. I charge my half day fee, which is 15 dollars less than my full day fee. The child comes at 11am, stays for lunch and nap, plays for a bit, then goes home.
Agree with Alpha! I really discourage the whole idea of transition weeks/days/months ugh. I find they totally disrupt my normal group and because they are here and there days the child really isn't transitioning, its the parents who are. The child will forget 5 days later that things were ok here and you have to go through it all over again. I only allow a 1-2 hour 'transition' Parents drop child off a couple days before daycare is to begin for a couple hours. This gives them time to realize that they will survive without their child during their working hours and that their child will be just fine in daycare Then they start daycare as per normal. So if they are 5 days a week, the come 5 days a week.

In the past, I have done the slow transition and didn't find it helped at all. Could just be the kids I had as some daycare providers swear by transitioning slowly, but for me, no thanks. I'd rather just dive right in I don't charge for those 1-2 hours as it gives me some time to get to know the child, but anything after that would be charged either my half day or full day fees depending on how long they were coming.

I also don't offer the transition with mom/dad present. I totally feel that sends the wrong idea to the child. It confuses them...why last week did mom and dad get to hang out with me at daycare but this week I have to go alone...I'm a total cold turkey lady.