SECOND STEP E-Newsletter
November 2011
Supporting Children's Transition to Kindergarten
Children educated in our current school systems (early learning, K–12, and post-secondary) can expect to undergo four major transitions. The first among these, from early learning to kindergarten, can be quite jarring. Children accustomed to a small Pre/K class with plenty of unstructured playtime and lots of adult support suddenly find themselves among thirty students with one teacher at the helm. They are expected to sit still and wait to have their needs met. And they're expected to learn. Undergoing this transition without adequate support can derail children otherwise on track for success.
Recognizing that supported transitions are critical for ensuring children’s school success is the first step. And although most educators surely recognize and agree on this need, the reality is that most school systems are not set up to accommodate supported transitions. Therefore, taking the second step—actually supporting transitions for children—becomes quite challenging.
But the winds of change are blowing. There are pockets of pioneers who are taking that second step and finding ways to align the school systems so that they do offer supported transitions. The most promising among these for the transition from early learning to elementary school is the PreK–3rd approach.
The Importance of Getting off to a Good Start
Before looking at the PreK–3rd approach, it’s important to know more about why the transition to kindergarten can be such a pivotal point in children’s school careers, one that can determine their educational and developmental trajectories. Research consistently shows that high-quality early learning programs can significantly improve educational and developmental outcomes for all children, particularly disadvantaged populations. However, when children move from these quality programs to elementary schools that cannot sustain Pre/K learning gains and do little to support the continued development of students’ social-emotional skills, the strong foundation built in Pre/K is weakened or destroyed.
The achievement gap is an example of a negative outcome that results from the lack of supported transitions and alignment between Pre/K programs and elementary schools. Before first grade, a third to a half of the achievement gap between African-American and Caucasian students already exists. That means learning gains from quality Pre/K programs are already at risk in kindergarten. And this gap just continues to widen during early elementary. For example, by fourth grade, African-American boys in public schools score about 30 points lower on reading and math than Caucasian boys. These gaps and disparities remain right on up through post-secondary, with many fewer African-American and Hispanic students graduating from college.
Staying on Track with the PreK–3rd Approach
That children’s educational and developmental trajectories can be set on a path that limits school and life success as early as kindergarten is tragic, but there is a way to get students on track for success: the PreK–3rd approach. This approach is based on knowledge about the importance of children’s development between the ages of three and eight. Within this period of early childhood, children are developing the foundational literacy, math, and social-emotional skills that will support the transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn" that happens around grade four. Without a strong skill base, children quickly fall behind and increase their risk for school failure, dropout, and other negative life outcomes.
Redefining the early years of school to include three- and four-year-olds within an aligned system that acknowledges the importance of this period of development for future learning and life success is a defining feature of the PreK–3rd approach. Other key features are:
- Universal access to high-quality early learning programs for three- and four-year-olds
- Universal full-day kindergarten
- Developmentally appropriate curricula with standards aligned from Pre/K to third grade
- Certified teachers with bachelor’s degrees and specialized training in early childhood education
- Ongoing assessments to inform instruction from Pre/K to third grade
- Coordinated professional development within and across grades
- Leadership dedicated to fostering and implementing effective Pre/K through third grade educational experiences
- Family and community engagement
Pioneering the PreK–3rd Approach
Scaling up and sustaining the PreK–3rd approach requires significant policy support and funding. Although facing an uphill climb, a few hardy souls are taking steps to implement the PreK–3rd approach in their schools, districts, and states. PreK–3rd initiatives are underway in thirteen states. They range in scope from single schools partnering with early learning providers, community agencies, and families to create PreK–3rd programs, to statewide birth through third grade development guidelines like those created by the Washington State Department of Early Learning. Promising evidence of effectiveness is surfacing from these initiatives. For example, independent evaluation of the PreK–3rd program at South Shore School in Seattle, WA, found evidence of learning gains (PDF) and that the achievement gap narrowed for disadvantaged students.
Small Steps for Supported Transitions
The PreK–3rd approach holds great promise, but the majority of teachers are still operating within the confines of our current, separate school systems. So in the absence of a PreK–3rd approach, what small steps can teachers take to at least help ease that first transition from Pre/K to kindergarten? The first step is to recognize the importance of the PreK–3rd years in children’s development. Then you can take steps to help create a supported transition from Pre/K to kindergarten. The following outlines steps early learning and kindergarten teachers can take.
[Some of the following have been adapted from the Second Step early learning program’s Transitioning to Kindergarten Unit.]
Early learning teachers can:
- Have children write letters to their future kindergarten teachers
- Visit children’s future kindergarten classrooms together
- Invite kindergarten teachers to visit the early learning classroom and meet their future students
- Offer to share children’s assessment results with their future schools and/or kindergarten teachers
- Offer families resources on the transition to kindergarten
Kindergarten teachers can:
- Organize meetings between early learning and kindergarten teachers to talk about the transition to kindergarten
- Visit early learning classrooms to meet children and their teachers and share information about kindergarten
- Develop connections between early learning providers and kindergarten teachers
- Invite early learning teachers to visit kindergarten classrooms with their children
- Invite families into kindergarten classrooms to meet teachers and other staff
- Offer families resources on the transition to kindergarten
- Conduct home visits before children enter kindergarten
Taking these steps can make a big difference in keeping children on track for success.
