Getting ready 3 min read
Preparing for the first day of daycare
A manageable starting plan: familiar faces, everyday routines, a clear goodbye, and the details to share with your provider.
Sources checked · By FirstDrop
Starting child care brings new people, places and routines. Preparation can make those changes more familiar. Use these ideas with your provider, adapting them to your child’s age and your family’s schedule.
Before the first day
- Meet the people and place If offered, visit together and meet the educators. Talk about what your child will do there in simple, age-appropriate language. A library book about starting child care can help begin the conversation.
- Rehearse the morning If wake-up or breakfast times need to change, start the new routine several days ahead. Discuss any gradual-start arrangements with the provider; there is no single schedule every family must follow.
Sources: How to prepare your child for child care · Preparing Your Child for Child Care
Choose a simple goodbye
Agree on a brief, repeatable handoff with the educator. Give your child your attention, offer affection, and say goodbye. For a child who understands, explain your return using a real part of their day, such as after afternoon snack. Keep that promise and tell the provider if plans change.
Confirm the practical details
Ask for the program’s packing list before buying anything. Check whether to bring labelled spare clothes, weather gear, diapers or feeding supplies, and how items should be stored. Confirm food restrictions and the process for allergies, medication and other care instructions.
Save contact numbers, confirm who may collect your child, and agree on how you will receive updates. Ask about illness-related pickup so you can arrange a backup plan.
FirstDrop planning prompts: supplies and arrangements depend on your child and provider. This is not a list of universal requirements.
Sources & further reading
Checked on September 30, 2026. Guidance and program rules can change; follow the linked source for updates.
- Government of OntarioHow to prepare your child for child care
- American Academy of Pediatrics · HealthyChildren.orgPreparing Your Child for Child Care
- ZERO TO THREESupporting Young Children as They Transition to an Early Learning Environment
- American Academy of Pediatrics · HealthyChildren.orgHow to Ease Your Child’s Separation Anxiety