Blooming Right on Time

As we step into a new year, I always find myself pausing and noticing something that has proven true time and time again in my years of working with young children. There is something about these winter months that brings a quiet but powerful shift. Skills that were just beginning to peek through in the fall often start to settle in, strengthen, and suddenly feel more confident. It is as if the children take a collective developmental breath and then begin to bloom.

Over the years, one trend I have noticed is that growth often happens long before we can see it. Like a seed planted beneath the soil, so much work is happening underground. We nurture, we water, we wait, and we trust. Then one day, almost without warning, a child surprises us, using new language, showing independence, connecting with friends in a deeper way, or tackling a challenge that once felt so hard.

One of my favorite children’s books, Leo the Late Bloomer, captures this beautifully. Leo does everything in his own time, talking, reading, writing, drawing, while the adults around him worry. His father simply reminds them, “Leo will bloom.” And he does, right on schedule for him.

As we begin having more conversations with families and look ahead to parent-teacher conferences in the coming weeks, this message feels especially important. Each child develops at their own rate of speed. There is no single timeline, no race to the finish line. Our goal is not to rush children toward the next milestone, but to support them exactly where they are: academically, socially, emotionally, and developmentally.

At Trinity, we believe in giving children the gift of time. We observe, we listen, we guide, and we partner closely with families, trusting that with care, patience, and a strong foundation, each child will bloom in their own beautiful way, just like Leo, and just like the seeds quietly growing beneath the surface.