Kids starting new daycare soon

[tigress]

My 3 year old and 10 month old will be starting a new daycare/preschool in a week and a half. I freak out about change so I'm a bundle of worry about this. 

3 year old has been in an in-home daycare since 3 months old (as has 10 month old since 3 months old). We pulled them both at the beginning of July and they have been staying home with MIL and SIL but they will be leaving next Friday so they are starting at the center. 

10 month old will be totally fine. Not worried about that guy. 

3 year old is going to scream bloody murder when I leave. I think she'll be fine afterwards though she is a stinker sometimes. Do you think it would be obnoxious for me to take a few hours off work that Monday morning and stick around with 3 year old for a while so she can get acclimated to the place? Would I be a super obnoxious parent by doing that? I know she is going to scream either way, but my thinking is maybe she won't feel so abandoned if I stay there and show her that she'll be ok there...

Thoughts? 

[LLL]

I don't think that's a good idea. Maybe you could adjust your schedule for that first week so that you can pick her up earlier, maybe adjust the time each day so you are picking her up later and later until you're at a full daycare day.

[Deleted]

I'd rip the bandaid off, but thats just me. With my DD, i know that she'll throw a huge fit in front of me, but the second I'm gone she'll be fine.

[revolution]

I think it will make it a lot worse if you stick around.

My DS (3.5 y/o), just switched from a home daycare to a center/pre-school in June. What really helped with him was doing a tour of the center together and the teacher/director explaining what room he would be in and a few of the highlights of the day. And then the teacher told him job every day was to put his lunchbox in the fridge and give mom/dad a hug good bye.

[Deleted]

Can you visit for a couple hours before her actual start day?

The week before we started my son in daycare (at age 1), my husband and I both went in on a Friday with DS for about an hour and a half so we could see what the morning routine was like and he could meet all the kids. I think he felt a little more comfortable on his first day because he had already been there once with us.