Gabriel and Daycare

I started Gabe in a new daycare this semester. It is on Campus and is a really great learning environment. Due to his last daycare, and their(what I believe) below par practices, Gabe has developed severe separation anxiety. We are working to overcome this and it breaks my heart when I have to drop him off as I can hear his cries all the way to the door. I have been dropping him off early and staying late so that I can spend at least 30min in transition each way. As long as I am sitting, either in a chair or on the floor, he has a great time. He crawls everywhere and plays, he pulls toys out and has fun. As soon as I stand however, he panics. He drops whatever he is doing and tries to get to me. They say that he is doing better throughout the day and will play for short periods of time, but for the most part, they hold him and rock him and let him look out the window to see what is going on, so that he knows that his needs will be met. Today they said that he actually sat in between one of the teachers legs on the floor and listened at story time. They are really good at trying to involve him in all the activities. Unlike his old daycare where he was put in a jumper, swing or exersaucer all day long. Today he "made" a house. They had paper cutouts of houses that they pasted the doors and windows on. I walked in as Gabe was making his. Well, I should say getting mad and hitting his windows onto his house. I take this day by day and know that he is getting better and it will take time. As long as he doesn't see me, he whines and fusses but is playing more. I peek in through the parent viewing windows and see that he does have a good time when I am not there. The parent window is one way so that parents can observe without disrupting their child.