That’s the way to go, I believe. Very important to be strict and clear, while letting them know that you love them and not trying to abandon them. 
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Should be some middle ground. Don’t need to hold kids hand on every step. But also don’t throw the kid into the cold water to learn to swim.
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Depends on how well the school handles things too. If you want to foster independence, parents should be stopped at the door, just generally, COVID or not. Children need to learn to walk into a place by themself and learn how to hang up a coat and backpack. The problem is when the school doesn’t let the parents in to help with coats and backpacks (unnecessary), but also doesn’t give the children what they need (like a clearly designated place for the child to change their shoes, put their outdoor shoes, hang up their coat and backpack, etc. That’s when things get overwhelming for the 2.5 or 3 y/o. They need order, routine, and consistency. Most preschools in Taipei are too cramped to give a child the kind of space they need to get things in order when they first come in, even if shoes and backpacks eventually find their way to the correct cubbies.
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Usually, parents can visit schools with kids to see the place and people there before they start going to school. Last year, maybe they could not?
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In the fall of 2020 in Taiwan, I think most schools were open. Having these opportunities for children to see where they will go to school before they start is also really good for getting them prepared to enter the new environment that is school. They do need teachers who have patience and manners though. Considering that most kindy teachers are in direct contact with the children for a good 10 or more hours every day, it’s no surprise they don’t even kind of have any of that…
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I see the homework thing repeated often. It’s bulIshit. If the kid takes more than an hour to do his or her homework, he or she is wasting time or slow. I have 3 kids in public schools now, one in the top high school of our region, and none of them have ever had more than an hour of homework. They spend much more time studying and reviewing than doing homework.
How likely is it that a private preschool would take a couple kids for just several months?
Have no experience with this, but my guess would be that many local kindergartens are very flexible and won’t say no to a little bit more income.
Yesterday our kindergarten put up this photo on FB.
I guess the face shield is to prevent the crayons getting into the eyes, right?
At other times they only wear the mask.
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