Happy Fall, everyone! I hope this finds you healthy and doing well as we enter cooler weather and shorter days. We have gotten off to a great start here at Open Arms! The kiddos were so excited to be back after getting cut short last year, and the new families are thrilled to start a new program and make new friends. We did not have one single tear on the first day, nor have we had any yet. This is a big deal, especially when it comes to the three-year-old class.

We were not sure how the days would flow now that we have changed the timeline of our daily schedule. As it turns out, it did not take long to get into a new rhythm and adapt to the changes. In fact, we are finding there are some things we will probably keep as a permanent change because it’s working so well. For example, we are finding that starting and ending our day outside on the playground makes the transition to school much simpler and the kiddos get more wiggles out right away when they can run around outside. Now, as for the end of the day, it’s not so easy, only because parents cannot peel their kids away from preschool! I always remind parents that this is the better problem to have, than a kiddo who does not want to be at school. We will make changes as needed if the weather is unbearable, but we make every effort to get the kids outside every day no matter what the weather is doing. Even if it’s only for fifteen minutes, it’s good for them to get some air and run.

Parents are enjoying our new procedures too! The moms who don’t have to bring little siblings inside are relieved since it was always so hard to get the siblings to leave preschool before. Now, they can leave them buckled up in the car and save themselves the struggle. Families also love the Brightwheel software program and app that we are using for all communication this year. We got started with it in an effort to make drop off and pick up as contactless as possible, but we are finding a multitude of great perks the program provides, all while saving precious time. This is important with all the extra cleaning procedures we’ve added this year. We are so blessed to have parents who are helping with as much of the cleaning processes as possible. Families have been so accommodating and gracious. They are all simply happy to be back and said they will do whatever they can to make sure things run smoothly for all of us. Their sensitivity to illness was evident when a couple of kiddos got the sniffles and stayed home simply as a courtesy to everyone in these days of heightened caution regarding illness. Again, a sign of how great our families are.

We have spent these first three weeks getting to know each other and talking about how to keep ourselves healthy, which included detailed lessons on hand washing and songs to make it fun. We wash hands a lot in preschool, too, so everyone is doing all they can to keep us safe and in school. The children love the new handwashing sinks and never hesitate to wash their hands. Those sinks have been life-savers for our staff as well as the kiddos! We have also talked about our friends, emotions, and school rules. Our dramatic play center has been transformed into an Apple Orchard where kiddos can purchase apples, cider and pies as we start Apple week to officially launch autumn. The upcoming weeks will also be spent assessing what the children know so we can better understand what we need to work on as we prepare them for Kindergarten.

Despite the uncertainty of everything going on, everyone already feels right at home and the kids have become friends which warms our hearts so much. The families this year are simply wonderful, and we could not be more excited for the year ahead. We wish you all a happy start to your autumn season that is filled with fun, laughter, and good health. God Bless!

Kandy Wise is the Director of Open Arms Preschool, a ministry of Saint John’s Lutheran Church. You may reach her at 482-1357 or OpenArms@StJohnsFC.org with any questions about the Preschool.