Transitions for Young Children

Creating Connections Across Early Childhood Systems

A top-notch research volume from leaders in the early childhood education field that reviews exemplary transition strategies and suggests a fresh, new approach to promoting effective vertical, horizontal, and structural transitions for children.

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• Table of Contents
• Reviews
• Contributors

Smooth early childhood transitions are key to ensuring positive outcomes for young children the world over—but in today's fragmented early education systems, it's difficult to ensure continuity among programs and services. Early childhood professionals will help change that with this book, the first to propose a comprehensive, practical framework for repairing fissures in the system and making transitions successful for young children globally.

A groundbreaking resource for a wide range of professionals—including principals, school-based administrators, program directors, district supervisors, and curriculum specialists—this book brings together the best thinking on early childhood transitions from leading researchers and practitioners around the world. Focusing on both vertical and horizontal transitions, the expert contributors give readers the in-depth guidance they need to

• develop a coherent, connected framework of curriculum and instruction across the pre-K–Grade 3 continuum
• enhance transitions for infants and young children with disabilities and their families
• address the specific issues dual language learners face during transitions
• align early learning standards, curricula, and assessments
• improve all aspects of school readiness—ready children, ready schools, and ready families and communities
• establish continuity between the child's home and school environment
• support the quality and stability of the early childhood workforce
• improve transitions through better accountability policies
• understand how transitions are affected by a wide range of factors, including poverty, cultural and linguistic diversity, and the child's neighborhood

Through the invaluable case studies on diverse programs—both in key U.S. states and around the world—readers will get practical insight into what really works and apply the lessons of real-life success stories. And with the clear and useful analysis of up-to-date research, policy, and practice, professionals will see where the field is today and where it needs to go to support better transitions.

A must-have resource for any early childhood professional who plays a part in shaping high-quality programs and services, this book is also an ideal text for preparing tomorrow's professionals to lead future efforts. Readers will be ready to move the field closer to one of its critical goals: a cohesive system of services that supports effective, meaningful transitions for all young children.

Reviews

: PsycCRITIQUES - July 27, 2011

"Kagan and Tarrant have compiled a wonderful text . . . [it] is well researched and provides excellent case examples to illustrate the alignments and transition obstacles."

: Spotlight on Language, Literacy, and Language - March 15, 2011

"A cogent guide to smooth, successful transition during the critical early years of growth and experience . . . excellent text for staff development."

: Young Children, NAEYC - March 15, 2011

"This book revolutionizes not only the way we think about transitions for young children, but also our vision of next steps for early childhood education."

Robert Myers, Founder, The Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and Development, Toronto, Ontario - August 2, 2010

"This volume will quickly become THE standard reference for all of us who are interested in this complex and critical area of inquiry and action. Not only does it put the topic in historical context and provide us with alternative ways of approaching it, but it also gives us a new way of looking at transition by explicitly bringing in the policy perspective."

Edward Zigler, Sterling Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, Yale University; Director Emeritus, The Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy - July 20, 2010

"A clear framework for providing continuity across the pre-K to grade 3 continuum . . . the most comprehensive guide to date for decreasing the stress of transitions for children and families."

Gene Wilhoit, Executive Director, The Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington, DC - July 2, 2010

"Sheds light on the roots of our current disjointed system, provides greater clarity about the issues that must be addressed, and proposes a new order for moving practice forward. It should become the primer for those who are intent on better serving our children."

James Comer, Maurice Professor of Child Psychiatry, Yale University Child Study Center - June 29, 2010

"Builds on Dr. Kagan's long interest in the need for continuous alignment of the people, places, and activities involved in child growth and development, emphasizing the vulnerability created by various kinds of transitions in interactive systems, and how it can be reduced."