1. Introduction

What’s New? In July 2021, EducationCounsel and New America published “A Toolkit for Effective and Supportive Transitions for Children, Families, and Educators.” This 2.0 toolkit includes two new sections: “Federal COVID Relief Dollars & How They Can Help Fund this Work” and “Takeaways from Our Work with States, Districts, and Communities.” It also includes new state and local examples; new discussions on the state of children, families, and educators; new resources; and other updates throughout.

Another school year has passed where children, families, and educators dealt with disruption and uncertainty because of COVID-19. Many families are stronger and more connected and parents are engaged in their children’s learning in a way they have not been before. Yet, while most students did return to in-person learning, school experiences did not return to normal.

Our youngest learners and their families and educators will feel the effects of the pandemic for years to come. For many, especially Black, Indigenous, and people of color and those in low-income communities, the pandemic has left lasting damage. And for many young children, the trauma, uncertainty, and loss they endured will last a lifetime. We now know the extent of some negative effects, including infants’ and toddlers’ language development and disrupted learning in the early grades.

Supportive and effective transitions from early childhood programs into kindergarten and the early grades will be crucial to begin to address these issues. Strong transitions set children up to succeed and get the supports they need in elementary school. States, school districts, center-based and family child care programs, Head Start programs, and the communities in which they are located must work together and thoughtfully connect children’s and families’ experiences across these years. Families and educators will need more support as they work to meet young children’s needs and help them thrive.

Transitions are rarely the direct responsibility of any one official. Leadership, vision, supportive policy, and careful planning are needed to ensure transitions remains a priority. Despite its importance, transitions are often overlooked or neglected and too often left to discrete activities leading up to the start of a new school year.

In order to ensure seamless transitions for children, families, and educators, state and local government officials must work to create enabling conditions for supportive and effective transitions. They must also align what children and families experience and how they experience it, as well as continuous improvement efforts.

The ongoing response to COVID-19—coupled with extended availability of resources, like American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds—provide an opportunity to enhance children’s transitions experience, reimagine and align learning environments in early childhood and elementary education, rethink how we value and support educators, and strengthen family and community engagement. It is up to states and local communities to make those changes by strengthening systems to support the prenatal through third grade (P–3) continuum.