A Simple Packing Guide for a Smooth, Happy First Day
Your child’s first day at Alliance is exciting—and we know it can feel like there are a hundred little things to remember!
The good news? You don’t need to pack the whole house.
We’ve put together this simple first-day guide so you know exactly what to bring. Having everything ready ahead of time helps our teachers keep your child comfortable, maintain familiar routines, and make those first days feel a little more like home.
Infants
Babies come with a little more gear than our bigger kids! Here’s what we recommend bringing for your infant’s first day.
Bottles & Milk
For formula-fed babies:
Please bring at least three bottles, labeled with your child’s first and last name, to leave at school. We will take care of washing these bottles.
For breastfed babies:
Please bring enough bottles for each day with expressed breast milk. Each bottle should be labeled with:
• Your child’s first and last name
• The date the milk was expressed
Breast fed babies will have bottles sent home for washing each night.
Your baby’s teachers will work closely with you to understand their typical feeding schedule, amounts, preferences, and cues.
Clothing
Please bring at least two complete changes of clothing to keep at school. The babies do go outside from time to time, so please send appropriate clothing for them to be outdoors.
Babies are wonderfully messy! Having extra clothes on hand helps us keep them clean and comfortable throughout the day.
Don’t forget to check the extra clothing in your child’s cubby from time to time. Babies have a habit of growing out of things before we realize it!
Comfort, Sleep & Personal Care Items
• Pacifier – bring one or two to leave here if your child uses one
• Sleep sack – bring one or two to leave here if your child uses one
• Blanket, if used
• Diaper ointment or cream if desired.
• Bibs – we kindly ask each family to donate 2-3 bibs to the center supply.
• Special Book – Please consider donating a book that is meaningful to your family (optional). Please write a message from your family inside of the book, it will remain in their classroom as a way for your family and child to be remembered in the class for years to come! Feel free to include a family photo! The kids really love sharing this special book with their friends!
Familiar sights, smells, and comfort items can be especially helpful while your baby is getting to know a new environment and building relationships with their teachers.
A Special Comfort Item
If your child has a special comfort item—such as a stuffed animal, lovey, or small toy they simply cannot live without—please feel free to send it.
Just let your child’s teachers know that it is a special item that will be traveling back and forth between home and school so we can help make sure it gets tucked into their bag at the end of the day.
Toddlers
Toddlers are busy little people—which means extra clothes are definitely a first-day essential!
At this age, our goal is to help your child feel comfortable, secure, and increasingly confident in their new school environment.
Please Bring:
• At least two complete changes of clothing to keep at school. Please note: We will all enjoy playing outside for 30-60 minutes once or twice a day. Please send plenty of warm clothes for winter, and send in appropriate clothes for summer. Closed toed shoes are best for outdoor play. Please check your child’s cubby often to be sure they always have plenty of extras.
• Pacifier, if used
• Blanket for nap time
• Diaper ointment or cream, if desired
• A family photo – you may include whoever you’d like in your family photo. Please label on the back. A family photo is especially comforting during the transition to childcare. It gives your child a familiar connection to home while they’re developing relationships with their teachers, classmates, and getting used to new surroundings
• Special Book – Please consider donating a book that is meaningful to your family (optional). Please write a message from your family inside of the book, it will remain in their classroom as a way for your family and child to be remembered in the class for years to come! Feel free to include a family photo! The kids really love sharing this special book with their friends!
Special Comfort Items
If your toddler has a special stuffed animal, lovey, or small toy they simply cannot live without, please feel free to send it during those first days or weeks.
Let your child’s teachers know that it is a special item that will be traveling back and forth between home and school so we can help make sure it goes home each day.
A familiar item can provide tremendous reassurance when everything else around your child feels new.
Once your child has built relationships with their teachers, made friends, learned the classroom routine, and begins to feel that wonderful sense of “I know this place. I belong here,” we’ll work together with you to gradually transition away from bringing the item to school.
Our first priority is helping your child feel safe, secure, and connected. Independence will come.
Preschool & Pre-K
By the time children reach Preschool and Pre-K, the first-day packing list gets a little shorter—and your child’s role in taking care of their own belongings gets a little bigger!
Please Bring:
• At least two complete changes of clothing to keep at school. Please note: We will all enjoy playing outside for 30-60 minutes once or twice a day. Please send plenty of warm clothes for winter, and send in appropriate clothes for summer. Closed toed shoes are best for outdoor play. Please check your child’s cubby often to be sure they always have plenty of extras.
• A blanket for nap or rest time, labeled with your child’s full name
• A family photo – you may include whoever you’d like in your family photo. Please label on the back. A family photo is especially comforting during the transition to childcare. It gives your child a familiar connection to home while they’re developing relationships with their teachers, classmates, and getting used to new surroundings
• Special Book – Please consider donating a book that is meaningful to your family (optional). Please write a message from your family inside of the book, it will remain in their classroom as a way for your family and child to be remembered in the class for years to come! Feel free to include a family photo! The kids really love sharing this special book with their friends!
• A water bottle, labeled with your child’s full name
The Alliance Backpack
Every Preschool and Pre-K child will receive their very own Alliance backpack to use for bringing their things back and forth between home and school.
And here’s the fun part: the backpack belongs to them.
As children become more independent, we’ll encourage them to take an increasingly active role in keeping track of their belongings.
They can help pack their backpack, carry it into school, put their things where they belong, and remember what needs to go home at the end of the day.
Will they remember everything every single time? Probably not.
That’s why we’re here to teach them!
These seemingly little responsibilities—carrying your own backpack, putting your water bottle away, knowing where your blanket belongs—are actually wonderful opportunities for children to practice independence, responsibility, confidence, and problem-solving.
At Alliance, preparing children for kindergarten isn’t only about what they know. It’s also about helping them develop that wonderful feeling of:
“I know how to do this. I can take care of my things. I can do things for myself.”
And sometimes, that starts with a very special little Alliance backpack.
A Little Piece of Home Goes a Long Way
The first few days of childcare are about much more than learning a new schedule.
These people know me.
They understand what I need.
I am safe here.
That’s why we want to know about the little things
Tell us what comforts your child. Tell us what you call their pacifier or favorite lovey. Let us know which song settles them, how they like to be comforted, or that the little stuffed bunny absolutely must come along everywhere.
Those details help us get to know your child as an individual—and that relationship is at the heart of everything we do at Alliance.
And remember: you don’t have to have everything figured out on the first morning. We’re here to help.
Welcome to Alliance. We’re so glad your family is here.