With Heartfelt Gratitude: A Farewell Letter to the Little Pilots Team

"Dear Little Pilots Team,

It feels incredibly bittersweet to be writing this to you all. I cannot believe it is already time to say our goodbyes, as our child heads off to kindergarten. We know that they’re ready, and we are grateful that we are sending them to a wonderful school next year but saying goodbye to you all and the school that has been our security blanket for so long is difficult. I thought I should share our gratitude in this note to ensure you know how much our 18 months at this school has meant to us.

It is so clear how much love, passion, and excitement go into your teaching. Your teacher magic is sprinkled everywhere, in all the lovely details of our child’s experiences with you. Whether it is the beautiful art they bring home, the songs they sing, the excitement of selling food at the Little Pilots Farmers Market, or all the special details you put into the recent graduation - you are all phenomenal educators, and we are so lucky to have had you in our child’s life.

We have watched our child grow holistically and academically during their time with you all. They absolutely love school, can’t wait to get there each day, and have made friendships that will go beyond our time at Little Pilots. Our child has a special spark, one we used to worry might be extinguished in school, and you all have done everything you can to preserve and grow that spark. You encourage their curiosity, they’re confident and goofy with you, and you love and support them for exactly who they are. You have allowed them, and us, to live in a privileged bubble of having such total peace of mind when we send them off to school each day.

They love each of you deeply. We regularly hear about fun things they’ve done with their teachers, and they always mention you all when we ask who they played with at school that day. I still vividly remember when we went to the pumpkin patch last fall, and our child chose to sit with the teachers on the hayride back. My dad was on that field trip, and I’ve only seen him cry a few times in my entire life, and I saw his eyes water when he watched our child move to sit with you all. We were both very moved by that moment, and I’m so glad I managed to quickly snap a photo of it. I also will always remember the police officer visit, and one of the kids accidentally hit the siren in the police car, startling our child. Even though we were standing right there next to the car, our child went running straight to a teacher for a reassuring cuddle. Those are very precious memories for us, and such a beautiful testament to how much our child loves and adores you all.

You have all helped our child so much with socializing, sharing, and accurately expressing their desire to make friends and play with others. You might know that we formed a Little Pilots parents WhatsApp group a while back, and we plan regular playdates, birthday parties, etc. with the current students and Little Pilots alumni. There was a period where we were exhausted keeping up with all our child’s playdates and birthday parties, and it is because of Little Pilots that we were blessed to have such a wonderful “problem” of our child having an overwhelming social calendar. We are grateful to you all for spending each and every day helping them express themselves and make these beautiful friendships.

Everything that you are doing is making such a huge, positive impact for kids who really need that extra love, inclusion, and support. Every time you go the extra mile, it is so important to our kids, and we thank you all for every effort you’ve made to ensure our child’s education is special, inclusive, and fun.

We will miss you all and miss the truly special school experience that you have created for the children. We are wishing all of you the absolute best for the transition to a daycare format. The families who get to continue living in the Little Pilots bubble are very lucky."

Sincerely,
[Names Removed]