Successful Kindergarten Transition

Your Guide to Connecting Children, Families, and Schools

Robert C. Pianta, Ph.D., Marcia Kraft-Sayre

This how-to handbook with field-tested methods helps schools and programs make the transition to kindergarten smoother for young children and the professionals and families who care about them.

• Product Details
• Table of Contents
• Reviews
• Contributors

A smooth transition to kindergarten is an essential part of a child's early academic experience—and now there's a how-to handbook with field-tested methods to help schools and programs make it happen. Perfect for preschool and kindergarten teachers, administrators, and family support specialists, this practical guide is built around a model that has been adopted in many diverse schools and communities. Step by step, the book helps professionals and caregivers

• Develop a solid transition plan. Readers will learn how to form a collaborative team; foster strong social connections among children, families, and professionals; create a menu of transition activities that can be tailored to each child's needs; and establish a timeline for putting the transition plan into action.
• Implement the plan. Readers will discover how to anticipate barriers; keep families involved; and conduct ongoing assessment, evaluation, and revision of transition activities. Appendices include photocopiable forms such as brainstorming sheets, parent interview forms, timeline worksheets, and questionnaires for teachers, principals, and family workers.
• Stay motivated and inspired. Readers will learn from the experience of others with insight from real families, educators, and school personnel, plus sample menus of activities they can use in their own homes and classrooms.

A must-read for everyone involved in early education, this hands-on resource can help make the transition to kindergarten smoother—for young children and the professionals and families who care about them.

Reviews

Samuel Meisels, President, Erickson Institute - April 27, 2006
"Both theoretically sound and practically wise . . . [The authors] understand the continuing development agenda of young children and the deeply pragmatic ways that schools and families can work together to enhance children's growth and promote early school success."

Carollee Howes, Professor and Division Head, Psychological Studies in Education, University of California, Los Angeles - January 1, 2003
"This is a terrific book. It is such a treat to see concrete and practical ways to instill positive relationships."

Richard Clifford, Co-Director, National Center for Early Development and Learning, and Senior Scientist, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute - January 1, 2003
"We have found a serious gap betwen what happens to children prior to school entry and when they enter the school doors ... this work offers a low cost way of making major gains in children's readiness for sucess as they come to school."

Authors: Robert C. Pianta Ph.D., Marcia Kraft-Sayre