Early School Outcomes for Children Who Delay Kindergarten Entry

This chapter explores the transitional practice of voluntarily delaying a student's kindergarten entry through a combination of reviewing prior literature and also presenting new research findings. Using data from a large, predominantly low-income and ethnically diverse sample, the authors examine early elementary school outcomes for a group of children (n = 305) who delayed kindergarten entry in comparison to their on-time peers. Results indicate that children who delay kindergarten entry slightly outperform their peers in the kindergarten year, but these differences disappear by the end of 1st grade. Results were similar for students with disabilities. Overall, delaying kindergarten entry did not seem to provide sustained academic advantages for this sample of students. Implications for delaying kindergarten entry are discussed.

Aligning Preschool and Kindergarten Classroom Learning Experiences

The focus of transition from preschool to kindergarten is often placed on what can be done to prepare the child. Relatively little emphasis is placed on how differences between learning experiences across settings might impact the child's transition from one setting to the other. This chapter presents the results of secondary data analysis of the 2009 FACES study that show that the alignment of prekindergarten-kindergarten (PK-K) learning experiences impacts children's kindergarten outcomes. In particular, HLM modeling found that children who had at least as many or more activity-based centers in their classrooms in kindergarten as they had in prekindergarten showed significantly better literacy and math outcomes at the end of kindergarten than children who had less or no activity-based centers in kindergarten. This chapter advocates for a systemic focus on transition that puts an emphasis on continuing developmentally appropriate practices between preschool and kindergarten settings as a way to facilitate transitions and improve outcomes for young children.

Children's Perspective on Transition From Kindergarten to Primary School

Access to educational transitions is determined by public educational policies, community culture in which someone grew up, and personal paradigms of all participants in the process – parents, teachers, and children. Although most educational policies demand accepting children as active participants in their own education, the actual children's participation is challenging. It is still linked to the adults' interpretation of understanding children's participation. How well we understand their perspective is often a predictor of initiating higher or lower quality transition processes. To appreciate a child's perspective, we should move away from the “top-down” view and consider the children's “bottom-up” interpretation of their own thinking and well-being. It is therefore justified to research children's opinions. This chapter discusses children's understanding of the transition process, based on 40 interviews with children in ECE settings.

A Two-Generational Approach to Promoting a Successful Transition to Kindergarten

The kindergarten transition is a time when both children and parents face changes in routines, environments, and peers. The new cognitive and behavioral expectations for children at school may also require enhanced parenting skills. Thus, programming to support the transition to kindergarten for children requires a two-generational approach. This chapter describes the Kids In Transition to School (KITS) Program, an intervention designed to help both children and parents gain the essential skills necessary to make a positive transition to kindergarten. For children, this includes academic and social-emotional skills. For parents, this includes skills to support children's learning at home and school as well as positive parenting skills. Evidence from multiple randomized controlled trials and a large-scale implementation shows positive effects on both children and parents. Future directions for research are also explored.

Understanding Head Start Children's Transitions to Kindergarten

Participating in Head Start can prepare children and families for success in kindergarten and beyond. A growing body of research suggests that continuity in high-quality learning experiences is critical for maintaining children's success. Transition practices can provide such continuity and improve children's outcomes. Head Start is in a strong position to help build that continuity to support parents and children. This chapter provides in-depth analyses of Head Start children's transitions to kindergarten from multiple respondent perspectives, using data from two cohorts of the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey. Although most Head Start centers/programs and receiving schools conduct activities to promote smooth transitions and supportive relationships, fewer are intentional about supporting an alignment of standards, curricula, and assessments across educational settings.

A Comprehensive Professional Development Approach for Supporting Science, Technology, and Engineering Curriculum in Preschool

The purpose of this chapter is to present initial findings of teacher practice outcomes to illustrate promising aspects of the readiness through integrative science and engineering (RISE) professional development (PD) approach for informing early childhood science, technology, and engineering (STE) curriculum and PD interventions. In this chapter, the framework grounding RISE STE curriculum, the home-to-school approach for developing meaningful RISE home-school connections (HSCs), and the structural components of RISE PD (which consisted of practice-based, individualized, and ongoing supports) are described. Sixty-two teachers (n = 37 RISE, n = 25 Control) and 347 primary caregivers participated in this randomized controlled trial study. Preliminary evidence of the positive impacts of the RISE intervention on teachers' STE attitudes, practice, and knowledge was obtained from teacher report. Evidence for positive HSCs was obtained from teacher and parent surveys, as well as on-going coach documentation of teachers' home-to-school practices.

Who Chooses School?

Universally, research shows that early childhood education (ECE) contributes to children's development in the very early years. Governments among developed countries subsidize an ample amount of money for children's early education development to generate and enhance human capital. Consequently, in developing countries like Bangladesh, ECE is driven by the family, where family socio-economic conditions make a significant contribution to children's transition from home to school, and to ensure their children begin school at a very early age. This qualitative case study explores parental socio-economic aspirations and the phenomena of ECE initiatives by the government for child transitions from home to schools in Bangladesh. This empirical research contributes by placing parental aspirations for child schooling and focusing on the information-gathering actions by parents in line with the social conditions that inspire parents to choose schools for their children.

Mindful Self-Care for Earlier Schooling

This chapter explores the role that mindful self-care practices play in helping students transition into attending school for the first time. Self-care practices are described in this chapter based on a thorough review of the literature focusing on the benefits for young students in early childhood educational settings. A thorough review of the literature has provided insight into five areas that address the following topics: (1) defining the concept of mindful self-care, (2) the impact of mindfulness practices on self-care, (3) the significance of modeling in learning to be self-cared, (4) benefits of self-care in the early childhood transitionary period, (5) long-term benefits of implementing self-care skills as socio-emotional competencies in early childhood, (6) implications for earlier public schooling, (7) educating starting at birth.

Qualitative Inquiry in Early Childhood Education Research

Recent research on the kindergarten transition highlights the importance of alignment across contexts to provide high-quality interactions. Yet, we know less about how families make sense of their experiences in the transition. This chapter explores families' experiences with the kindergarten transition from a funds of knowledge perspective. Results from a qualitative interview study of schools' recognition of families' funds of knowledge during the kindergarten transition are presented. Families in the study discussed parent-initiated involvement and disconnects between school perceptions of their home culture and their own self understandings. The authors argue that understanding families' own experiences with the transition is an important step in conceptualizing families' involvement in their children's education.

How Choices and Constraints in Parents' Early Education Decisions Affect Children's School Readiness

The socioeconomic achievement gap begins at school entry and widens as children move through school. Many children from low-socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds do not have access to the material resources or environmental enrichment that would allow them to start school at the same academic level as their peers from high-SES backgrounds. However, a wealth of research supports the potential for high-quality early care and education programs to supplement the cognitive development of students from low-SES families. Low enrollment in high-quality programs and high absenteeism rates can render these children unable to gain cognitive benefits that will prepare them for school entry. This chapter highlights how low enrollment in high-quality early care and education programs and low attendance rates are two overlooked components of dosage that contribute to the small estimates of the efficacy of preschool and the early achievement gap. By understanding these two components of dosage as the outcomes of parents' constrained decision-making, early education policy could be improved.