Tulare County Office of Education

Homesickness

Going away from home for a week can be a challenging experience for a child of any age. Short-term separation from parents and learning independence are both a part of growing up. Many children will have some difficulty coping with the changes that come with going away to SCICON. This anxiety is perfectly normal; it happens commonly.

We would like to ask your help in preparing your child prior to coming to SCICON. Let them know that, although you will miss them, you have confidence in their ability to cope with the new lifestyle at SCICON. Help your child focus on the positive aspects of SCICON: the new friends they will make, the many activities they will enjoy, and how proud you will be of them when they succeed. If your child has never spent the night away from home and family, you can help prepare them by having them spend a night at a friend's house or a weekend at a relative's house. Also, plan on attending one of the SCICON Open Houses or the SCICON BBQ & Wildflower Festival in April to share the SCICON experience with them.

Our staff is prepared to keep your child so busy having fun and learning about science and nature that they will not often think of home. Phone calls are not helpful, as they turn the students' thoughts back to home rather than keeping their focus on their activities and friends at SCICON. Telling your child that you will pick them up if they cannot make it only sets them up for failure.

If you have any special concerns about your child, please contact the SCICON Nurse at sciconRN@ocsnet.net or by calling (559) 539-4007.

Tulare County Office of Education
SCICON
P.O. Box 339
Springville, CA 93265

Rick Mitchell, Administrator
(559) 539-2642
fax: (559) 539-2643

Please direct web site problems or comments to tcoeweb@tcoe.org.