This past August my oldest started Kindergarten and we were thrown into the realm of having a “school-aged child”. It’s no secret that due to her late birthday – 7 days before cut off in our district – that we struggled with the decision of when she would start. In the end, we elected to wait a year and, oh…that was so the right decision for our Matilda. She is far from the oldest in her class (there are several kids 3-4 months older) and she really needed last year to work out some of her anxiety.

Because of that anxiety we spent a lot of time with school staff over the summer (has an a IEP) working out the best environment for her. We visited her classroom a couple of times and she had some one on one time with her teacher in the weeks leading up to the first day.

First official 1st day of school photo 

She was “really excited and a little nervous” on her first day (well, half-day …they have a short 3-day week of half days when K starts. It’s a total PITA for parents).

A bit hesitant now that she’s at school with the other kids

She walked to school with her daddy and I met them there (I had to leave quickly for work). She walked in ready to conquer the world.

She’s got this!

I’m so incredibly grateful for our amazing school system. We actively picked a strong public school district with lots of support and resources when we moved to Cleveland and all those taxes are starting to pay off. I’m happy to say, after 2 months, that she is doing splendidly in school. She loves school days (recess and lunch are her favorites) and is growing in ways I never imagined. She picks up on new things quickly and is eager to share about her day. Thankfully, her anxiety is starting to lessen and, thanks to the support at school, she’s learning to cope with changes much better.

Bonus: another new kindergartner moved onto to street just a few days before school started. They’ve become fast friends.