Research Findings: The transition to kindergarten can be challenging for children and families. Research shows that some transition activities implemented by elementary schools can have small positive associations with children's outcomes. Examining the nationally representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Class of 2011 dataset…

Research Findings: The present study examined the transition practices reported by 59 pre-kindergarten (pre-k) and 186 kindergarten teachers in the rural Southeastern United States, and asked if transition practices related to skills at the beginning and end of kindergarten for 387 children. Analyses indicated kindergarten teachers offered more…

Research Findings: This study examines efforts by Head Start programs to coordinate with elementary schools and seeks to better understand how coordination practices may support children's transition to and success in kindergarten. Data were drawn from a nationally representative sample of Head Start children (N = 2,019) followed through…

Research Findings: Three infants were followed over the course of 9 months from their last semester in their infant classroom through their transition to a toddler classroom at a university-based child care center. Using participant observation, video observation, and teacher interview, we qualitatively constructed and analyzed profiles of each…

Research Findings: The aim of this study was to shed light on how children perceive the differences between their early childhood setting and primary school and what they felt they learned when they started primary school. The children's playschool teachers were co-researchers, participating in the data generation, as well as participants in the…

Research Findings: Services to young children with disabilities and their families are provided through state and federal resources to those who meet eligibility requirements. This article reviews the literature that addresses the transition to preschool special education services occurring from the time a child reaches 2 years, 6 months, of age…

Surveyed 78 first-grade teachers about the effectiveness of transition classes for children who are not ready to be promoted from kindergarten to first grade. The teachers overwhelmingly supported transition classes and perceived them as beneficial despite the lack of empirical evidence to support these beliefs. (MDM)

Describes demographic and structural features of kindergarten classrooms using data from the National Center for Early Development and Learning's Transition Practices Survey of kindergarten teachers. Explores teachers' education and experience, and their training on facilitating transitions to kindergarten. Also discusses teacher and student…

In a survey of 96 New England transition classroom teachers, characteristics of transition classes and criteria for assignment to transition classes were identified. Most programs were reported to be child-centered, and socioemotional development was reported to be the most important criterion for selecting children for inclusion in transition…

The present study is a longitudinal examination of family-school communication in preschool and kindergarten. Preschool and kindergarten teachers and family workers of 75 children from families with low SES logged the frequency and characteristics of family-school communication, resulting in over 22,000 contacts. Data were collected during a…