January 12, 2023
It’s Registration time, y’all!
Another January, another registration period, another exciting wait for the start of a new school year. If you’ve been here for a while, you know my spiel about registering my kids for Soapstone Preschool and how nutty it was as a first-time preschool momma who knew very little about the workings of a preschool. Fast-forward 8 years, and you guys know I still think it is nutty that we register our babies for preschool in January
It’s crazy how time flies. It was August, and then we blinked, and now we are gearing up to register families for our 2024-25 school year. How did that happen? Even crazier, it was January 2016 and then I blinked, and all of a sudden, my first baby who I registered that month/year is now in 4th grade and the baby who was born in January 2016 is turning 8 on Sunday. Yikes.
In never fails, y’all. Registration always brings out the nostalgia in me, and re-focused my attention on why this preschool means so much to me, not just as its director, but first and foremost, as a mom who walked your exact walk just a short time ago.
But registration IS an emotional time. It’s a time of decisions, a time of thinking through “what is the next step for my child” or “what is the right choice for my child”. It’s a hard time for that first time preschool parent, who is just trying to understand WHY preschool registration happens in January, what type of preschool is best for their child, and how many days a week will be best. It’s the time when our families who have been with us for years are gearing up to say goodbye to us and not registering to come back, because Kindergarten awaits. It’s also a very humbling time of year for us at the preschool, knowing that we have such an amazing community of families who continue to trust in us and the work we do, so we can continue to serve these children, using the gifts that God has provided us.
At the end of the day, we are all out there trying to do what is best for our children and for our own families. My words of advice to you as you approach this registration (or lack thereof) season – it’s okay to be anxious about next year. It’s okay to worry about what options will be best. It’s okay to question if TK is the best route, or if Kindergarten is a go. Ask us. Use us. And know that at the end of the day, we’ve got you. And God’s got you. I always tell parents that the decision you make as to your child’s next steps will be the right one for your family. And you can’t go wrong with that.
Thank you for continuing to be part of our Soapstone Preschool experience and for allowing us the privilege of working with your children. Thank you for giving this ever-always nostalgic mom a way to wax emotional about this time of year. And hold on tight – registration for next year may be happening very shortly, but we have a whole lot of this year left to learn, grow, and shine at the preschool.
As Matthew 19:14 says, “Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Your kiddos will come and shine in all the things they do – here at the preschool and beyond.
Until next time,
Ms. Jess