Settling into kindergarten
A short parent survey for the first weeks at kindergarten. It shows how a child sleeps, eats and handles the morning goodbye, and what helps them settle into the group.
Who it is for and when to run it
Send this one or two weeks after a child starts at kindergarten or nursery. Earlier, parents have not seen enough; later, the teachers have lost the window to change the routine or the goodbye ritual.
It suits the youngest groups in autumn and any child who joins mid-year. A setting’s psychologist or key worker can repeat it a month later and compare how the same group has moved.
Send the link to the group chat in the evening. Parents answer at home, after they have seen how the child is, rather than in a hurry at the coat pegs.
What the template is made of
Every block in the order it sits in the builder. Branching decides which of them a given person actually sees.
- How is your child settling in? Text block
The opening screen explains why the teachers want to know how the child is at home, and that it takes 3–4 minutes. Without that sentence, parents may feel they are being assessed.
- Child's name and group Short answer
Child’s name and group in a single field. That is enough to know whose answer it is, and nothing more is collected.
- How long has your child been attending? Single choice
Time since starting (under a week, 1–2 weeks, 3–4 weeks, over a month) is the main filter: tears on day three and tears in week five mean different things.
- What is your child's mood in the morning before kindergarten? Emoji rating
Morning mood on an emoji scale. Parents find it easier to pick a face than a word, and the scale gives a group average straight away.
- How does the morning goodbye go? Single choice
The morning goodbye: calmly, cries but calms quickly, cries for a long time, refuses to go. Four steps separate normal settling from cases that need a conversation.
- What has changed at home since kindergarten started? Matrix
A matrix for sleep, appetite, evening mood and interest in play: better, no change, worse. One grid instead of four questions, and you see exactly where a child is struggling.
- Does your child talk about kindergarten on their own? Yes / No
Does the child talk about kindergarten on their own: yes or no. A simple sign of whether the group has started to feel like theirs.
- What helps your child settle? Multiple choice
What helps: a favourite toy, shorter days, the same goodbye ritual, familiar children. What works for one family can be suggested to others.
- Has your child been ill since starting? Yes / No
Has the child been ill since starting. Absences reset settling-in, and this answer explains them.
- What worries you? What would you like to discuss with the teacher? Long answer
An open question on worries and topics for the teacher. This is where the list of families to talk to comes from.
- Consent to personal data processing Consent
Consent to data processing, because the form holds the child’s name and notes on how they are doing.
How to adapt the template
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For toddlers, add a matrix row on daytime naps or toilet training if your staff need it. Matrix rows are edited right on the question card.
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If you plan a repeat survey, keep the name field required so you can compare one family’s answers a month apart.
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Extend «What helps your child settle?» with what your setting actually offers, such as a parent staying for the first mornings.
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For an anonymous group-wide version, delete the name field. You lose the ability to follow up individually, but parents tend to be more candid about morning tears.
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Turn on one question per screen: it is quicker to answer on a phone.
How to read the results
Read the goodbye question together with time since starting. A child who has attended for over a month and still cries for a long time needs a conversation, not more waiting.
The «What has changed at home» matrix shows where settling is hardest. If many children in one group are worse on sleep, look at the daily routine and nap time rather than at each child.
Compare the emoji-scale average between the two-week and one-month rounds. A shift across the group says more than a single number.
Read every open answer. One line like «eats nothing but bread at kindergarten» matters more than any average.
Common mistakes
- Sending the survey on day one, when parents know nothing yet.
- Turning it into a medical questionnaire. Illness is a yes/no question here; details belong with the nurse.
- Not replying to parents who shared a worry. If nothing happens, they will not fill in the next form.
- Ranking children against each other. Each child settles at their own pace; the survey is there to spot the ones who need help.
Questions about the «Settling into kindergarten» template
What questions should I ask parents about settling into kindergarten?
Ask how long the child has attended, their mood in the morning, how the goodbye goes, what has changed at home with sleep, appetite and play, whether they talk about kindergarten on their own, what helps, and what worries the parent. The template already contains all of these.
When is the best time to run a settling-in survey?
One to two weeks after the child starts, then again about a month later. The first round shows how settling is going; the second shows whether changes to routine or rituals helped. Use the same form so the answers compare cleanly.
Can the survey be anonymous?
Yes, delete the «Child’s name and group» field. The service does not ask for names by itself, so anonymity depends only on your questions. The trade-off is that you cannot follow up with a particular family.
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Do not start from an empty canvas
Open the catalog, take the closest template and rewrite the questions for your job. Five minutes instead of an hour.