Kindergarten Supporting Transition
Overview
The goal of the Office of Early Childhood Programs is to ensure that all students are physically, socially, emotionally, and intellectually ready to thrive in kindergarten. As such, kindergarten teachers are encouraged to collaborate and communicate with families and early care & educator providers in order to provide a range of experiences and opportunities to familiarize students with the school environment and their community while developing a readiness for school.
The transition to kindergarten Links to an external site. begins before children walk through the doors on the first day of school. Sending and receiving school teams can plan for successful transitions through Supportive Transition Practices Links to an external site.. Families learn about readiness through various community events and workshops. Once families register for kindergarten Links to an external site., they can begin to attend transition events at their assigned school.
When teams plan transition events to welcome children and families, they should consider the following questions:
- What practices promote - or hinder - a positive transition to school?
- Who do our practices serve?
A recent commentary in EdWeek.org notes, "an interactive concept of readiness suggests that as much attention should be given to schools' readiness for children as to children's readiness for school. We do need to ensure productive learning opportunities for children before they enter school. Whatever awaits them in kindergarten, we know that children benefit from having a strong foundation to build on. But we also need to make sure schools are ready to address children's learning needs, whatever their skills when they walk in the door. For example, we need to help teachers provide instruction that is tailored to the needs of individual students and to offer the extra assistance children need if they enter kindergarten far behind their peers. To date, the focus has been on readying children. We need to pay more attention to readying schools." (Should Children Be Ready for Kindergarten—Or Should Kindergarten Be Ready for Children?, retrieved on 4/29/19 from www.edweek.org Links to an external site.
The Office of Early Childhood Program supports the transition to kindergarten in several ways, including:
- Chairs the Howard County Early Childhood Advisory Council's Transition to Kindergarten Workgroup. The workgroup is comprised of a wide variety of early childhood stakeholders from across the community with a focus on supporting a positive school transition for children and families.
- Presents the annual Road to Kindergarten Parent Workshops to approximately 1,500 attendees.
- Hosts the annual Transition to Kindergarten Retreat for HCPSS early childhood teachers and licensed childcare providers.
- For more information about county readiness initiatives at Launch into Learning Links to an external site..
Transition Activities
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