Welcome to the Cyert Center
The Cyert Center offers a warm, thoughtful, and developmentally grounded Welcoming Process designed to help new families feel supported as they join our community.
Our goal is to foster trust, connection, and confidence from the very beginning. Through orientation meetings, resource guides, and individualized conversations, we seek to equip your family with the information and support needed for a smooth transition into the center. For our youngest learners, the process is intentionally gradual and highly personalized, allowing infants to ease into their new environment with comfort and care. This mindful approach creates a strong foundation for meaningful relationships among families, educators, and children– helping each child feel secure in their new space.
The resources and gatherings outlined below serve as cornerstones of our Welcoming Process and are offered primarily during the summer months before the new program year begins in August. If your family joins the center at a different point in the year, these supports will still be available to you in an adapted format.
Preparing for the Transition
Classroom Resource Guide
The purpose of the Classroom Resource Guide is to familiarize families with the specific routines, spaces, and procedures of their child’s classroom. Guides will be distributed to families prior to their Age Group Welcome and Orientation Meeting.
Age Group Welcome and Orientation Meeting
This is an opportunity to meet other families and members of our staff. Prior to the meeting, we distribute the Classroom Resource Guide, which includes essential information and an overview of classroom systems. Typically formatted as an open house, this should address many questions regarding classroom routines and formats.
Family Exchange Form
Families complete and submit the electronic form prior to meeting with educators at their Family / Educator Exchange Meeting. When completing this form, families will share information related to identity and culture, as well as information about their child’s personality and disposition, development, feeding habits, napping habits, and health.
Family / Educator Exchange Meeting
These meetings provide a valuable opportunity for new families to meet one-on-one with a Cyert Center team member from their child’s classroom. Families will complete a Family Exchange Form to guide the conversation.
Whole-Program Welcome and Orientation Meeting
Led by our Pedagogical Team, this meeting will provide updates on our philosophy, pedagogy, curricular goals, and opportunities for family engagement.
Classroom Visit and Supply Drop-Off
Families will be invited to visit their child’s new classroom and drop off belongings before their child's first day at the center. This visit typically occurs in the final days of our In-Service Week, in early August.
Your Child's First Days
Infants
The welcoming process at the Cyert Center is a gradual transition inspired by the "Inserimento" approach (which can be roughly translated as “settling in” or “period of transition and adjustment”) used by educators is Reggio Emilia, Italy. It focuses on building strong relationships between the child, family, and educators to foster comfort and security. The process begins with a one-on-one meeting between the family and an educator to set expectations and build rapport.
A child's transition into the center progresses gradually over several days through a process we call Welcome Week.
By the second week, children move closer to their typical daily routine, attending for full days without their parents, depending on the comfort level of both the child and the family. By week three, families are typically fully adjusted to their regular schedules. We ask that parents remain easily accessible after drop-off throughout this entire transition period in case additional support or communication is needed.
While the center encourages the gradual transition, flexibility is offered to accommodate parents' schedules, such as allowing a grandparent to join the child during the first week. Families are not required to strictly follow the process, and educators work closely with parents to ensure a smooth and supportive transition.
Young Toddlers
The welcoming process is our intentional system for transitioning children and families into the Center at the start of a new program year. During this time, parents or special adults spend time in the Young Toddler classrooms with their child to build relationships, establish a foundation of trust, and allow educators to learn as much as possible about your child directly from you.
During the first week, children gradually build up their time at the Center while parents remain easily accessible after drop-off in case additional support or communication is needed.
Moving into the second week, children fully transition to staying for typical full-day hours within our standard operating window, with adjustments being made as needed. By the third week, families are typically fully adjusted to their regular schedules.
Older Toddlers, Preschool, Prekindergarten, and Flex Prek/Kindergarten
After a family accepts a spot in a toddler, preschool, prekindergarten, or prek/kindergarten classroom, they receive a welcome letter from the educator team and schedule an information-gathering meeting to dialogue about the child, family, and pending transition.
This initial meeting kicks off a relationship-building process, where educators and parents discuss the best ways to welcome the child, plan the child’s first days, and schedule classroom visits. Similar to the infant classrooms, the transition process in these age groups also draws from "Inserimento" in its approach, as parents are encouraged to spend time with their children in the classroom, and daily communication is emphasized to share updates on the child’s day.
The Welcome Week for children ages two and up typically includes an extended drop-off period the first week, as well as shorter length of day for the first one to three days. Your child’s Welcome Week schedule will be discussed during your Family Educator Exchange Meeting.