🍂 September is here — and before and after school programs are officially back in action.

And if your first week included missing belongings, transportation confusion, tired kindergarteners, changing schedules, new faces, and at least one moment where you wondered what day it was… welcome back, friends.

In September Hits Different, Jamie explores why the beginning of the school year deserves more than a new program plan and a freshly laminated set of rules.

September is a transition for everyone — children, families, educators, teachers, and programs — and how we approach these first few weeks can shape the relationships we build for the rest of the year.

In this episode:

🍁 Lead with curiosity. Before correcting behaviour or making assumptions about a child, get curious about what might be underneath it.

🎒 Remember how BIG September feels to children. For children entering kindergarten especially, virtually everything about their day may have changed. Sometimes what looks like “behaviour” is a child navigating an enormous transition.

✨ Look for micro moments. Relationship building doesn't always happen during some beautifully planned activity. It happens when you remember the soccer tryout. Ask about their dog. Sit beside them while they draw. Laugh at their joke. Notice when something feels different.

👀 Get to know the children before planning for the children. Their interests, personalities, strengths, quirks, needs, friendships and ideas should help shape the program. September is your opportunity to listen and observe.

💛 Find one genuinely good thing about every child. Especially the child you're finding difficult to connect with.

👨‍👩‍👧 Reconnect with families. A thirty-second conversation at pickup can matter more than we realize — particularly for families adjusting to having far less information about their child's school day.

🏫 Start fresh with school partners. Last year was last year. Say hello. Learn names. Ask how someone's summer was. Build the relationship before the day comes when you need to have a difficult conversation.

🙋 Give children ownership. Instead of immediately handing them seventeen rules and a laminated poster about respect, ask: What do you need from this space? What would make this a great year?

Your September Challenge

This week:

Learn something new about every child.

Look for the micro moments.

Remember something a child tells you — and ask them about it later.

Connect with a family.

Introduce yourself to someone in the school.

Notice a routine that isn't working and get curious about why instead of immediately trying to control it.

And ask your children:

“What would make this a really great year here?”

Then actually listen.

Join the Conversation

What does September look like in your before and after school program?

What's going amazingly well? What's chaotic? What made you laugh this week? And what already feels heavy?

Send Jamie a message and tell her what's happening in your program. Your questions, challenges and real-life experiences help shape future conversations on The Forgotten ECE.

Because this podcast isn't just about talking about school-age educators.

It's about talking with them.

🎙️ The Forgotten ECE is hosted by Jamie Wagler, RECE, OCT — international speaker, consultant, and school-age advocate.