Maddie Goes to a New Child Care Program

Maddie goes to a new child care program

Maddie is three years old. She has been in a family child care home since she was a baby so she is used to being away from her family during the day. But her family child care is having to close and Maddie’s parents think she is ready for a preschool experience anyway so she can be ready for kindergarten. Maddie’s parents have explained all this to her but she is not too sure what this all means except that she is leaving her family child care provider, Shelly, and the other children. She is not happy about that but understands that its going to happen no matter what. She had a little party at Shelly’s with cupcakes and now it is time to go to the new place.
Maddie arrives with all her stuff from Shelly’s to put in her new cubby. The new lady – or Teacher – is called Miss Watkins and she smiles at Maddie when she comes in. Miss Watkins puts her stuff in a cubby with her new lunch box and Maddie says goodbye to her Daddy who brought her. When he leaves, Maddie starts to look around and she is really surprised at how many children there are and how many different kinds of things and a big rug and a bookcase full of books. Maddie looks around and is confused but not too upset. After a minute she spots the dolls and the play kitchen area and she knows all about that so she goes over to check it out. She sees so many dolls on the shelf! But she inspects them all until she finds one she likes and she tucks it under her arm with a blankee and crosses the room to see what else there is to play with. There are just so many things and there is music playing and tables and chairs with more things and all the children are very busy. Maddie explores carefully, with her doll still under her arm and then a bell goes off and everyone scurries around for clean up time – she knows about this! She helps other children put things where they seem to go and then Miss Watkins – and another lady – say its time for snack. Again Maddie knows what that means and she is ready to sit at a table because she is very hungry and thirsty! But when Miss Watkins tried to take her doll away, Maddie grips her even more tightly and tugs back at Miss Watkins who frowns but goes back to serving snack. Maddie keeps an eye on everybody through snack and wishes there were graham crackers like at Shelley’s but it’s okay.
Now it is time for “circle time” and Maddie isn’t sure what that means until she sees everyone go sit on the floor in front of a teacher’s chair and the other lady sits there with a book. Maddie knows this is a story time and even though she doesn’t know the songs or fingerplays they are doing, she is ready for a good story! The book is a quick one that Maddie doesn’t really understand and she couldn’t see the pictures very well but she and her doll sit quietly even though some other children are wiggling and get scolded by the other teacher-lady.

Time to go outside! Maddie finds the cubby that has her coal inside of it and she puts it on like Shelly taught her. She gets in the line at the door, doll still tucked in her arm with blankee straggling. Waiting and waiting. Then Miss Watkins opens the door for everyone to go out but when Maddie gets to the door, Miss Watkins firmly takes her doll and put its on a nearby shelf out of her sight and says “no dolls outside.” And that is the point at which Maddie is now really really unhappy and she knows not to cry and fuss but she just stands outside. Looking at her feet. Overwhelmed finally and very unhappy.
Miss Watkins doesn’t give her back the doll when they go inside and Maddie cant find her on the shelf now. The day is not fun any more and Maddie is not happy to go back the next day.