J.R.
We moved our son into a new daycare almost a year ago & it was a really rough transition for him.
I know people say you should make the drop-offs quick, but that really didn't work for us. We made sure he had a comfort object (or 2 or 3) - for him it was a special blanket & his stuffed cat. He really connected with one of the teachers (she would let him sit on her lap & would rub his head if he was crying), so she took extra care to welcome him in the mornings. It was a rough 2 weeks, but he loves going to "new school" (he still calls it new after a year!) now.
It was tough to fit into the new routine & make new friends, but having some familiar objects really seemed to help him. I tried to make a few extra minutes available for us in the mornings so I could give him his extra hugs and help him put his tears away in his pocket. Once he realized school was fun, new friends were exciting & we still picked him up at the end of the day, things got good fast.
Talking with the daycare providers helped too - they had the ideas for comfort objects & they were willing to give him some extra attention at first to help the transition go more smoothly. When it got right down to it though, there were mornings I left crying as I listed to him cry while I walked down the hall to leave. It's definitely not easy, but it gets better.
*hugs*
J.
Mom to Chase (3.5) & #2 on the way 6/2/08