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Children experience many transitions, including from home to an early care and education setting, between age groups or program settings, and from preschool to kindergarten. Supporting these transitions for children, families, and staff is critically important because even positive change can be challenging. How the foundation for positive transitions is laid across all levels of the system to support children, families, and staff through transitions can have far-reaching effects on children’s well-being and academic success. Program staff consider the long-term process of building and maintaining the capacity to support children and families at all levels. They also look at ways to improve how they connect and communicate within systems during transitions.
Explore national kindergarten transition policies. Learn how these policies inform the decision-making and practices of Head Start and elementary school leaders as they support the transition process.
Discover information and strategies to help Head Start program staff support children who are dual language learners (DLLs) and their families as they make the transition to kindergarten.
Use this step-by-step guide to plan and host a successful kindergarten registration event. Find ways to engage all four points of connection to support families in the enrollment process.
Find research-based practices and activities to help leaders create successful transitions to kindergarten. Use this information to support the four points of connection that are key to transitions.
This guide offers tips, organized across a timeline, for families to engage in the kindergarten transition and support their children throughout the process.
Learn how a Head Start program partners with families as they prepare for kindergarten. Explore ways to partner with families and receiving elementary schools during children's transition to kindergarten.
Learn how Head Start staff can partner with families and introduce the importance of the transition to kindergarten from the start.
Find out about alignment strategies that staff can use to bridge the connection between Head Start and the receiving school.
Find out what key components can help ensure children’s successful transitions to kindergarten. Learn about practical ways staff can support families during the transition process.
Discover ways programs can help build strong relationships between programs, families, and receiving schools in the transition process.
HeadStart.gov
official website of the Administration for Children and Families
