Transition to Kindergarten
Transition refers to the totality of experiences and opportunities a child encounters in moving from one program or setting to another. Opportunities and experiences that familiarize children and families with new settings, expectations and relationships can help make connections that ease adjustments.
When transitions are effective they provide the supports children need to make these adjustments. When children make successful transitions they:
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Enjoy school and look forward to going
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Show steady growth in academic and social skills
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Have families who are more actively engaged in their learning (Howard, 2010)
Under Construction
- High-Quality Prekindergarten Programs Family Engagement Plan - Strategies in Action: This resource from the Texas Education Agency provides an example for developing a family engagement plan with ideas to support communication including transitioning to kindergarten.
- Practical Strategies for Supporting Children’s Social and Emotional Development: Easy-to-use Positive Solutions Workbook is available from the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) for teachers/caregivers and families providing hands-on ways to embed social emotional building activities.
A kindergarten-ready family encourages and celebrates developing skills in their young children. A key step in kindergarten readiness is learning about routines and schedules. A kindergarten-ready family learns about daily routines, the importance of respect for teachers and classmates and how to nurture children’s untold potential and readiness to learn. These resources are provided for families to ensure that your child starts kindergarten on the right foot and continues to thrive during the school year.
- Tips for Communication (English and Español): This one-pager lists age-appropriate activities to further develop your child’s speaking, listening and comprehension skills.
- Tips for Gross Motor (English and Español): This one-pager lists age-appropriate activities to further develop your child’s control over small body parts, such as hands and fingers. This is commonly referred to as fine motor skills and helps your child with everyday activities such as walking, jumping and standing.
- Tips for Fine Motor (English and Español): This one-pager lists age-appropriate activities to further develop your child’s control over large body parts, such as arms and legs. This is commonly referred to as gross motor skills and helps your child with everyday activities such as eating, writing and drawing.
- How Families Promote Literacy (English and Español): This infographic includes seven ways families support literacy development for young children.
- Practice Guides for Parents: The Center for Early Literacy Learning developed guides that can be used by families to provide their infants, toddlers or preschoolers fun and exciting literacy learning experiences and opportunities. Guides: Literacy Learning Experiences, Drawing and Writing, Letters and Spelling, Rhymes and Sound Awareness, Reading and Storytelling, Talking and Listening.
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DEL Transition to Kindergarten Activity Calendar (Under Construction, it will be available in Spanish and Haitian Creole): This calendar provides fun activities for families to support children’s learning at home and preparing for kindergarten. This calendar is recommended to be used beginning December 1st, 2022, through July 31st, 2023.
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Get Ready for Kindergarten! Activity Calendar (English and Español): This calendar provides activities to facilitate strong connections between families and schools while helping children prepare for kindergarten.
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Teaching Your Child to Become Independent with Daily Routines: This resource provides tips for families to help children learn how to become more independent with daily routines.
Transition to Kindergarten Toolkit Guide
In this Transition to Kindergarten Toolkit Guide you will find a Timeline of Suggested Activities for implementing the toolkit resources included below. The guide includes resources such as customizable event flyers and informational tip sheets, targeting various transition milestones and it is divided by quarter: winter, spring, summer and fall listing resources that are introduced in each quarter. Many of the toolkit resources are editable templates that you may personalize as needed.
Transition to Kindergarten Toolkit Resources
Here you will get full access to the Toolkit’s Resources.
Transition to Kindergarten Summits
Thank you for your interest in the Transition to Kindergarten Summits. In this section you will find resources shared during the Summits. You may access the resources by clicking on the individual links below.
Transition to Kindergarten Summits 2021 Summary
Focus: “Integrating Promising Practices to Support Early Literacy and Successful Transition PreK-K”
North Region- April 20th & 21st, 2021
Central Region- April 27th & 28th, 2021
South Region May 4th & 5th, 2021
DEL Recommendations for a Successful Transition to Kindergarten (2021)
Guidance Document developed by the Division of Early Learning in 2021, per new House Bill 7011, now in statute section 1002.83 (16). DEL was charged to provide guidance to early learning coalitions in successfully transitions to kindergarten. As referenced in the statute, the office shall provide guidelines for successful kindergarten transitions to early learning coalitions, school districts, charter schools, and parents to assist with the implementation of this subsection.
DEL Transition to Kindergarten Summits 2022 Resources
Focus: “Collaborating to Achieve Successful Transition to Kindergarten Best Practices Plans”
Advanced/Intermediate Implementation Level Summit- February 1st & 2nd, 2022
Intermediate Implementation Level Summit- February 8th and 9th, 2022
Emerging Implementation Level Summit- February 22nd and 23rd, 2022
Access a blank template and download for your use in developing your coalition’s/district’s Transition to Kindergarten best practice plan. This template was used to guide discussion and collaborations during the summits offered in 2022.