Methods

There are many actions schools and districts can take to help ensure a child’s transition into kindergarten is smooth and stress-free for her and her family. This report highlights innovative efforts schools and districts across the country are taking to ease the transition into kindergarten for families and students, including students who did not have access to pre-K prior to kindergarten. We include a range of models at different stages of development that are taking innovative approaches to ensuring a smooth transition to kindergarten. These schools and districts, while different from one another, are taking important steps to ensure the kindergarten year is a successful one for children and families. When searching for schools and districts to highlight we looked for places that are addressing one or more of the following priorities:

• Data sharing between child care or pre-K programs and kindergarten
• Professional development and planning across grades (formal activities that bring adults together across child care or pre-K and kindergarten)
• Focus on family engagement that emphasizes the importance of involvement in education, extends beyond a one-time activity, and takes place prior to the start of kindergarten
• Activities for incoming kindergarten students that go beyond one-time events (such as a classroom visit) and prioritize students without access to pre-K