ADMISSION
PPEI “Saulespuķe” enrols children from 1.5 to 6 years of age. Please apply by filling out the application on our website. In order to sign their child up for our kindergarten, parents must submit the following documents to the director of the preschool:
- letter of application (provided by preschool),
- application form (provided by preschool),
- the child’s medical record with a health evaluation certificate 026/u issued by a healthcare specialist,
- the child’s vaccination record (form No 063/u),
- medical certificate issued by a doctor, stating that the child does not have pediculosis and that he/she has not been in contact with infected patients within 3 days before the beginning of the preschool course;
- sign a contract with the pre school.
MANDATORY ITEMS
Please provide your child with the things needed for the daily activities in the kindergarten:
• Indoor and outdoor shoes (rain boots for rainy weather)
• A spare change of clothes (trousers, socks, t-shirt, raincoat, and for the little ones – diapers, wet wipes, etc.);
• A sun hat (for summertime);
• A t-shirt for fabric painting;
• Pyjamas for naps;
• Toothpaste and toothbrush;
• Personal blanket for sleeping (the laundry is washed and taken care of by the kindergarten);
• A personal cup.
DOCUMENTS
DAILY SCHEDULE
At Sunflower, all children lead individual and collective lives at the same time; therefore, they are very fond of order and daily routine. We advise establishing these both, so that the child feels self-sufficient, develops time-awareness and learns how to plan assignments together with teachers and friends. It is strongly recommended for the parents to bring their child to the kindergarten on time for the lessons.
| Time | Daily schedule | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 7:00 – 8:00 |
early group/arrival | |
| 8:00 – 8:30 |
morning exercise | |
| 8:30 – 9:00 |
breakfast | |
| 9:00 – 11:00 |
morning assembly/learning through play | |
| 11:00 – 12:10 |
walk/nature lesson/experiments | 11:00 – 12:00 “Saules zaķīši” “Saules stariņi”, “Saules sirsniņas” 11:00 – 12:10 ”Saules ķipari” |
| 12:10 – 12:20 |
finger games | |
| 12:20 – 13:00 | lunch | 12:20 – 13:00 “Saules zaķīši” 12:25 – 13:00 “Saules stariņi”, “Saules sirsniņas” 12:30 – 13:00 “Saules ķipari” |
| 13:00 – 15:00 | time for reading and naps | |
| 15:00 – 15:30 | individual activities | |
| 15:30 – 16:00 | snack time | |
| 16:00 – 18:00 | learning through play, games, individual activitie | |
| 18:00 – 19:00 | late group/going home |
ADAPTATION PERIOD
The first day of kindergarten introduces a period of child’s adaptation and adjustment to the new, unfamiliar surroundings. This can be a stressful experience for the child, but it is also highly individual and different for each child. The teachers and their assistants will ensure to pay a closer attention to recently enrolled children and help them to adapt and get used to the new environment (toys, room arrangement, grown-ups, other children etc.). When playing with their peers, a child’s at- tention is usually diverted, and they don’t seek the presence of their parents as much. New ob- jects inspire great curiosity and interest; therefore, we advise starting the child’s kindergarten at- tendance little by little at first.
Based on the experience of our most experienced teachers, we have developed a recom- mended kindergarten starter’s guide here at Saulespuķe.
1st day. We advise arriving as early as breakfast time, from 8:30 until 10:00, accompa- nied by a parent.
2nd day. The attendance should not exceed 2-3 hours. However, on the second day the presence of a parent during the learning process is not advisable. The child can bring a favourite object, to maintain an inner sense of security.
3rd and 4th day. There is usually a certain “breaking point” (crying, acting up) when the child has explored and become familiar with the environment and starts to occasionally remember his/her home and parents, which often leads to restlessness. This reaction is normal for both smaller and bigger children, when starting kindergarten. At this point it is useful to remember that the task of a parent is to help their child get accustomed to the kindergarten environment and daily routine and to continue taking the child to the kinder- garten daily.
5th day. The child can stay during the naptime. It is recommended to take the child home after 16:00. By the second week, the child will have adapted to the routine. As we al- ready mentioned, each child is an individual personality, so the adaptation period may be influenced by various surrounding conditions.
A new environment is introduced into the child’s life. The environment itself teaches the child what to do and how.
Suggestions for parents on how to prepare your child for kindergarten!
- On the first day, create a sense of celebration for your child and wait for it to bring joy!
- A mother shouldn’t feel guilty or worried when taking her child to kindergarten because the child will sense it and feel insecure as a result.
- We advise taking time off work on your child’s first day at kindergarten so that you can spend time with him/her.
- When saying goodbye in the morning, explain that you will be back later. Stay calm and try
not to make your child anxious.