Chapter 14: Getting Ready for Child-care and School

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HealthWiki > Helping Children Who Are Blind > Chapter 14: Getting Ready for Child-care and School

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In this chapter:

 

In this chapter:

In some communities, there are places where young children are cared for while their families work. They are often called nursery schools, day-care centers, child-care centers, preschools, or creches.

A child who is blind or cannot see well can go to a child-care center with other children. And when your child is old enough, she should attend school like other children her age. In order to make these experiences fun and successful, you can:

• help your child prepare for child-care or school
• help the child-care center or school teacher prepare for your child

Helping your child prepare for child-care and school

To learn to play with groups of children

At school, your child will be playing a lot with other children. Long before she goes to school, you can help her prepare by encouraging her to play with others, and by helping other children play with her.

If your child has experience playing with friends before she starts school, she will find it easier to make new friends once she is in school.

To learn what child-care or school is like

If your child does not spend much time with older children, she may not understand what happens at child-care or school because hearing stories about school is how many children learn about it. A child who is blind or cannot see well may also be afraid to be away from her family for several hours. To help her understand about child-care or school:

But I won’t know anybody there. I’ll be all by myself.

You will make new friends, and you will be hearing stories and having fun.

Tell her some of the exciting things about child-care or school.

Now I'm the teacher. This is an "O."

Ask an older child to "play school" with your child.

To get to know the child-care or school building

Your child will feel more comfortable on her first day of school if she has visited the school before and has learned how to get around on her own. Try to visit and meet the teacher when there are no other children present.

And this is where you’ll be sitting, Cheng.

Let’s try going from your seat to the door.

This page was updated:05 Jan 2024