Claiborne Williams Milde is the parent of a kindergartner at PS 29 and a three-year-old preschooler. She lives in Brooklyn and is a freelance writer and cook. We're pleased to welcome her regular contributions to The InsideSCOOP.

On a gray day this June, my daughter—I’ll call her Night Owl—stood on a blue riser and "stepped up" to kindergarten. The teacher spoke of what an amazing group of preschoolers this had been, and I realized how much I would miss the faces I saw each day at pick-up, at lunch duty, and on field trips. Another week of school followed Stepping Up, but it barely counted; as each day passed, paintings and projects disappeared from the walls, and with them, the room’s personality.

I flash back to Night Owl’s first day at PS 29. Climbing the huge stairway, she looked comically tiny, as if trying on a grownup’s clothes. I wondered how she, newly four, would tackle life in the big school. But pre-K turned out to be a safe bubble. Sure, there was structure and discipline, ABCs and 1,2,3s. But these little kids also rested on mats, tinkered in the play kitchen to their hearts’ content, and got plenty of hugs from the assistant teacher. In the final weeks, there was an aura of excitement as they practiced for fall by visiting kindergarten classrooms and lunching in the cafeteria.<!--more-->

Now, I’m hearing tales of pre-K withdrawal: some kids, plucked from their routines, don’t quite know what to do with themselves. Others feel downright bereft by the sudden disconnection from teachers and classmates. One friend tells me that when her son complains of being lonely, she plays a CD of the class singing together. Another tells me her daughter has missed school so much that the other day she tried forcing open the building’s locked doors. Summer camp has helped, but her daughter still can’t fathom how her daily world vanished just like that.

As is her way, Night Owl shrugs off these transitions. I wonder what she’s really thinking. I’m proud she made it this far, and we’re having a fun summer now that the sun has decided to appear. But I’ll be honest: I’m a little nervous about some of the changes kindergarten will bring. Even though PS 29 has been home for a year now, I have the sense of entering a vaster universe. There will be six classes instead of pre-K's three, as well as a larger class size: at least 22 instead of 18. With so many classes, only a couple of children my daughter knows will end up in hers. More troubling is the fact that, with budget cuts, the school can’t afford assistants for kindergarten classes; there will be just one teacher per room (except in the Collaborative Team Teaching classroom).

Many parents I know share the same feelings. Those whose children will be at brand new schools truly have jitters. This past week, e-mails have been flying as we compare teacher assignments, hoping to visualize next year’s classes. Children and parents alike hope for a bit of familiarity as we step into new classrooms on September 9. For now, in addition to enjoying the summer, we can do what made last year a success: build our new little communities, set up play dates with former and future classmates, and prepare our children for a year in the big school.

(Ed Note: Check out our latest Ask Judy column for some advice and book suggestions on how to prepare for kindergarten.)