Preschool children need to feel secure and trust that they will be well cared for in order to feel safe being left in a class away from their parents or primary caregivers. If they experience the following they will begin to sense some discomfort that could impact the way they react the next time they are brought to class.
1) a lack of consistency
2) an expectation for them to do that which is beyond their capabilities
3) a long, drawn out time that is unstimulating
What kind of environment do your preschool classes provide? Is it a place they would want to be?
This article is included as a handout in the Reaching All Age Levels Resource with a brief explanation of each of the above points. The resource also includes similar articles for the other age groups. It provides you with a teacher training group session in which you gather teachers of all age groups for a PowerPoint presentation followed by breakout sessions to personalize it according to age levels.