Many school districts provide one-time transition events to help students prepare for the rigors of kindergarten; yet, research shows families desire additional information and opportunities to help their children thrive once school begins. Researchers for this study interviewed 39 parents whose children participated in a three-week structured…

Video is one way to promote, and help families understand, the transition to kindergarten. The present study explored the experiences of parents with transition-to-kindergarten videos. Four videos, in English and Spanish with accompanying information sheets in English and Spanish, targeted parents for transitioning to kindergarten. There were a…

Given the importance of family participation in transition planning, it is essential to understand the concerns parents have for their children with disabilities so professionals can better address family needs and develop strategies to enhance expectations and improve student outcomes. Using results from a national U.S. survey, we examined the…

Children progress through a number of life transitions and each is a pivotal point of development and growth for them, their parents and family members. Through a review of the literature, the Bioecological Model will be used to frame childhood transitions as highly social, contextualised and political. This paper will assert that governments,…

Infants and toddlers with disabilities (ages birth to 2 years) and their families receive services under IDEA Part C, and children and youth with disabilities (ages 3-21 years) receive special education and related services under IDEA Part B. IDEA mandates the provision of opportunities for parent involvement in early intervention (Part C),…

Effective transition planning is critical for young adults with disabilities to experience positive post-school outcomes, including employment, living in a place of their choice and engaging in social activities. However, these outcomes are often marred by barriers such as poorly constructed transition plans, low expectations and a lack of…

Entry into school represents as much a challenge for children as it does for their parents. The authors examined the ways in which transition practices help children and their families feel prepared for school entry, as measured by the child's emotional adaptation during the first days in class and the family's sense of being prepared for this…

Transition planning and processes can greatly influence the quality of schooling transitions for students with learning disabilities. Student-focused planning and family involvement are two integral components of transition planning that do not always receive the emphasis that they deserve. The educational transitions of one student are examined…

Despite the increasing attendance of children with food allergy in schools in Australia and globally, little is known about how affected families manage their children's transition to school. This paper discusses the experiences and support needs of ten mothers during their child's transition to school in Sydney, Australia, drawn from the thematic…

Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts (PA PKC) is a state-funded prekindergarten program for 3- and 4-year-old children to help them gain school readiness skills. The goal of PA PKC is to help reduce educational disparities by providing high quality prekindergarten for children who lack opportunities or reside in environments that place them at risk of school…

Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts (PA PKC) is a state-funded prekindergarten program for 3- and 4- year-old children to help them gain school readiness skills. The goal of PA PKC is to help reduce educational disparities by providing high quality prekindergarten for children who lack opportunities or reside in environments that place them at risk of…

Special education transition planning services are intended to facilitate an effective segue from education services provided in the high school to adult life. This transition can be especially problematic for students who have severe disabilities and their families. In addition, methods used to assess the effectiveness of transition planning for…

A study involving 52 families with transition-age students with severe mental retardation found that schools are providing a variety of transition instruction; parents' ideal views of vocational outcomes are not always consistent with their realistic views; the majority of exited students are working in segregated environments; and there is high…

Interviews with 19 parents explored perceptions of major issues in their handicapped child's transition from a specialized preschool classroom to regular kindergarten. Among results was that parents indicated the greatest satisfaction with parent-teacher conferences and the least satisfaction with amount and type of school and classroom…

A survey of 308 African-American, Hispanic-American, Native-American, and European-American parents found that culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) parents are active in transition planning activities and, in some instances, their level of reported participation surpassed that of European-American parents. In contrast, 52 professionals…