First Day of Daycare Tips: What to Expect and How to Prepare

Ask a toddler what's hardest about daycare and they'll say naptime. Ask a parent and they'll say drop-off. Both are correct, and only one of them gets a snack afterward.

Here's the direct answer: visit the daycare once before day one, keep the morning routine calm and on time, keep the goodbye under 60 seconds, don't sneak out, pack a labeled comfort object, and expect some crying that fades within minutes on the day and within one to three weeks overall. That's the entire shape of what works. The rest of this guide is how to execute each piece — and what to do if it doesn't go that way.

I've run this program since 1994. Thirty-two years hasn't changed the moment — it's changed what I tell parents to do beforehand.

What to Do the Week Before

The week before matters more than the morning of. Four things are worth doing.

Do a visit first

If your daycare allows it, bring your child for thirty minutes before the actual first day. The room stops being completely foreign. A face they recognize and a toy they already touched become real anchors. At Lisa's Rascals, a short visit before enrollment is standard — ask for one if nobody has offered.

Shift the routine early

Move bedtime, wake-up time, and mealtimes to match the daycare's schedule a week ahead — not the night before. Children adjust faster when the clock around them hasn't also changed.

Practice the goodbye at home

This sounds strange and it works. Say goodbye, leave the room, come back a minute later. You're teaching your child that goodbye has an end. Zero to Three's guidance on separation anxiety notes children under three don't yet have a fixed sense of object permanence — out of sight, they don't know you're coming back.

Pack and label everything

Diapers, a labeled change of clothes, and a comfort object — a small stuffed animal or a familiar blanket. Label all of it with your child's name. Lost items at daycare are almost always the unlabeled ones. The comfort object isn't a crutch; it's a transitional object — the technical term for "the thing that proves home still exists."

The Morning Of: Keep It Short

Keep the morning calm and give yourself extra time — rushing spikes everyone's cortisol before the day starts. This isn't the morning for a new breakfast or a long talk about daycare. Children read a parent's mood better than most adults give them credit for.

Arrive on time. Early means standing around in an unfamiliar room. Late means rushing. On time means the day starts as planned.

At Drop-Off: The 60-Second Goodbye

The goodbye should run under 60 seconds. That's not a guess — it's what thirty-two years of watching goodbyes says works.

The structure:

• Help your child get settled — coat off, bag away
• Give a specific, concrete goodbye: "I love you. I'll see you at pick-up."
• Leave

Say when you'll be back, and mean it. Don't negotiate with tears, and don't say "I'll just be right outside" if you won't be.

By week two, plenty of children are walking away before the parent finishes talking. The parent is briefly, mildly offended. That's the goal.

Why You Should Not Sneak Out

Sneaking out feels kind. It is not.

When a child doesn't see you leave, they don't know you left — they just notice you're gone, with no explanation attached. That's harder than a goodbye, not easier.

Say goodbye. Leave. Come back when you said you would. Repeat until it's boring.

What the First Two Weeks Look Like

Week one is the hardest, and that's expected. Some children settle in two or three days; others take the full two weeks — new to group care, or just more cautious. Neither reflects on the daycare or the parenting.

Most parents expect weeks of tears. Most children here stop within a few days — not because they forget their parents, but because a small, stable room feels safe almost immediately.

Pick-up often surprises parents: many children don't want to leave, one of the better compliments this job hands out. Ask specific questions about the day — who they played with, what was at snack — and you'll get more than "nothing happened."

Why Day Two Is Sometimes Worse Than Day One

Day one is often easier than day two, and that surprises parents.

On day one, everything is new enough that a child is somewhat numbed by novelty — too busy taking it in to fully protest. By day two, they know exactly what's coming, and some push back harder before they settle again.

This isn't regression. It's a normal second data point, not a trend. If day three is calmer than day two, the adjustment is on schedule — even if day one looked deceptively easy.

When It Is Genuinely Not Going Well

Some drop-off distress is normal. Sustained, escalating distress is not.

Signs worth a conversation with the provider:

• Daily crying that hasn't eased after three weeks
• New physical symptoms at home — stomach aches, sleep disruption, toilet-training regression
• The provider reporting your child isn't eating or engaging, not just crying at the door
• Your child asking to stay home or saying they don't feel safe

A good provider tells you honestly what they're observing. If yours won't, that's its own signal. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes adjustment to group care is highly individual — some children benefit from a slower start, like half-days the first week.

The One Number Worth Asking About

Here's the opinion I'll stake the business on: the number worth asking about on day one isn't the curriculum. It's the ratio.

Maryland caps licensed family childcare at 1:3 for infants under 18 months. Lisa's Rascals holds that ratio or better. Large centers, licensed under a different category, can run 1:6 for the same age group — meaning your child sometimes waits.

A rough first day is often less about a child's temperament and more about how many other children one adult is watching. Ask any provider what their ratio is before you ask about curriculum. The honest ones will already have the number ready.

When Lisa's Rascals Is and Isn't the Right Fit

The group at Lisa's Rascals never exceeds eight children — the Maryland state cap for licensed family childcare. Children settle faster in a small, home-based room with the same caregiver every day than with a center's rotating staff, and there's no turnover here.

More on how a typical day runs is on the About page, and the full range of programs — infant care through after-school care — is on the Services page.

If none of that applies, get in touch to ask about current availability. Tours are free, take about 30 minutes, and tell you more than any website.

Frequently Asked Questions