My kid was home for a little over 2 years before going to any kind of daycare. It's been a while, but I remember the first week or so being rough, but we all adapted pretty well.

It was nice to have that transition at a point where the kid had enough means to communicate with others. Talking about their day (like asking what their favorite part was) and packing special snacks to look forward to can help.

Oh wow yeah, big change! Our kiddos have been in daycare since they were infants. That said, it doesn't mean they never had an issue with being away. As they got older, and more aware that we were "leaving" at drop off, the more they became upset at drop off. That eventually fades though. But, even now, K2 will have days where he just doesn't want us to leave. It comes and goes. Our oldest will tell me she missed me at school every so often. But I think you will find that kids are adaptable. The first week or so will be hard. They will be sad that you are leaving. But that will fade in time and they'll start being excited to go.

You, however, might also feel some way around dropoff, and that's OK too. You will go through a similar process of reorientation. But talking always helps. Telling them what it might be like, and always asking how their day was or what they did that day will make things easier. Especially when you both get to share what your day was like. Sometimes its easier to ask more narrow questions. Instead of asking "what did you do today?" I find its sometimes easier to get an answer when you ask things like, "Did you play outside today?", or "Did anything [funny, sad, exciting] happen today?" or "Who did you play with today?"

Also, having a strong ritual will help as well. You might already have a good morning or evening ritual, but if you don't, its a good time to start. Predictability is good for kiddos, especially when something new is happening. Set bed times, with a list of things to do before bed (brush teeth, read stories, pack what's needed for the next day) just adds that predicability to the day to keep them grounded.

That's all I got really. She's going to make a lot of new friends, and it'll be very fun I'm sure!