At first, Hanna Vasquez thought her son, Jase, was just shy. When he began refusing to get out of the car for preschool drop-off, she realized something more serious was happening.
“Once he moved into 4K, he would not get out of the car,” Hanna said. “They had to physically remove him from his seat. He would hold onto the seatbelt, the door, even lock his legs against the back of my seat. He would cry and scream. It was heartbreaking.”
Jase’s separation anxiety made mornings stressful for both of them. “I just hoped he would get to his classroom safely and not run back into the car line and cause an accident,” Hanna recalled.
Looking for help, Hanna turned to STAR Family Partnership, a Lexington County First Steps program designed to help children enter school ready to learn by strengthening the connection between families and schools.
Through STAR playgroups, Jase was able to explore classroom-like settings alongside his mom, meeting new friends and teachers while practicing routines that would help him in school.
“It helps kids get ready for 4K,” Hanna said. “They have circle time, story time, and crafts, and parents can be part of it too. Jase ended up loving it. He met lots of children, and we even started meeting up with some of the families at the library or zoo.”
Over time, Jase became more comfortable in group settings and began to look forward to school. But as kindergarten approached, Hanna wanted to make sure his next transition would go smoothly. That’s when she enrolled him in Countdown to Kindergarten, a South Carolina First Steps initiative that connects rising kindergarteners with their future teachers through a series of six weekly home visits during the summer.
“He got to meet his teachers early, and that helped so much,” Hanna said. “He became familiar with their faces and voices. He played games, told stories, and felt comfortable around them before school even started.”
One of those teachers was Connie Crout at Wood Elementary in Lexington County, who remembers Jase’s first visit vividly. “He stayed under a blanket the whole time,” she said with a laugh. “I felt like I was talking to a blanket. But I knew that was just part of the process. By our third visit, we were sitting on the floor playing games together.”
By the time school began, Jase’s fear had begun to fade. “Early on, we were still dragging him in by the tag on his book bag,” Connie said. “Now he walks in all by himself every morning, unpacks his bag, and sits on the carpet ready for the day. The consistency of Countdown to Kindergarten helped him learn what to expect, and that predictability built his confidence.”
Hanna has seen the difference too. “He’s made so many friends, participates in class, and comes home talking about how much fun he has,” she said. “He tells me how much he loves his teachers. It’s a complete transformation.”
That transformation also inspired Hanna’s own. Now working in the district’s childcare program, she helps other children navigate those first big steps into school. “Some kids start out shy or cry for a week or two,” she said. “But once you form a bond and find what makes them comfortable, they open up, just like Jase did.”
Looking back, Hanna is grateful for the programs that helped her son through each transition. “If he didn’t have STAR and Countdown to Kindergarten, I think he’d still be clinging to the car seat every morning,” she said. “For families dealing with the same thing, I’d say take advantage of these resources. They make all the difference.”
Learn more about Countdown to Kindergarten and parenting programs.
Topics:
Parenting, School Transition, Home Visiting
