ED 379 107 TITLE INSTITUTION SPONS AGENCY REPORT NO PUB DATE NOTE AVAILABLE FROM PUB TYPE EDRS PRICE DESCRIPTORS DOCUMENT RESUME PS 023 019 Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change. Appalachia Educational Lab., Charleston, W. Va.; West Virginia Education Association, Charleston. Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC. RP91002002 Nov 94 83p. Appalachia Educational Laboratory, Inc., Distribution Center, P.O. Box 1348, Charleston, WV 25325-1348 (0). Guides - Non-Classroom Use (055) -- Reference Materials - Directories/Catalogs (132) MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. Agencies; Agency Cooperation; Early Childhood Education; Early Intervention; Educational Cooperation; Educational Resources; *Family School Relationship; *Interschool Communication; Preschool Children; Program Effectiveness; *School Community Relationship; *School Effectiveness; *School Readiness; *Transitional Programs IDENTIFIERS Program Characteristics; West Virginia ABSTRACT The West Virginia Education Association and the Appalachia Educational Laboratory formed a study group to examine transition. activities used in West Virginia by preschool, Head Start, kindergarten, and early intervention programs. The study group members developed a program identification form and a program description form, which were disseminated to 100 transition programs. This guide provides findings from the 24 responding programs. These findings concern demographics, program rationale, activity types, decisionmaking, staff development, communications, records transfer, resources, and accomplishments and obstacles in relation to early childhood transition activities. Developed for educators and care providers, the guide includes: an introduction with background on the work of the Early Childhood Transition Study Group, a rationale for the importance of transition practices developed from a review of related literature, a description of the methodology and findings from responses to the group's Program Description Form, and recommendations for practitioners. The following areas of difficulty for transition programs were acknowledged: (1) communicating across agencies and with families; (2) identifying and reaching out to children with limited program resources; (3) sharing records without breaching confidentiality; (4) coordinating procedures with other agencies while adhering to funding agency guidelines; (5) helping children and families visit new settings; and (6) finding time for sending and receiving program teachers to craft individually appropriate transition efforts for all children and their families. A Service Provider Directory of study respondents and a bibliography on early childhood transitions are included. Appendices contain the Early Childhood Transitions Study Group Program Identification Form, Program Description Form, a Reflections and Recommendations Form and elements and exemplary practices for home, school, and community linkages. A separately published brochure, "Easing the Transition from Preschool to Kindergarten, A Guide for Early Childhood Teachers and Administrators," is attached. (AA)
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ED 379 107
TITLE
INSTITUTION
SPONS AGENCY
REPORT NOPUB DATENOTEAVAILABLE FROM
PUB TYPE
EDRS PRICEDESCRIPTORS
DOCUMENT RESUME
PS 023 019
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children andFamilies for Change.Appalachia Educational Lab., Charleston, W. Va.; WestVirginia Education Association, Charleston.Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED),Washington, DC.RP91002002Nov 9483p.Appalachia Educational Laboratory, Inc., DistributionCenter, P.O. Box 1348, Charleston, WV 25325-1348(0).Guides - Non-Classroom Use (055) -- ReferenceMaterials - Directories/Catalogs (132)MF01/PC04 Plus Postage.Agencies; Agency Cooperation; Early ChildhoodEducation; Early Intervention; EducationalCooperation; Educational Resources; *Family SchoolRelationship; *Interschool Communication; PreschoolChildren; Program Effectiveness; *School CommunityRelationship; *School Effectiveness; *SchoolReadiness; *Transitional Programs
IDENTIFIERS Program Characteristics; West Virginia
ABSTRACTThe West Virginia Education Association and the
Appalachia Educational Laboratory formed a study group to examinetransition. activities used in West Virginia by preschool, Head Start,kindergarten, and early intervention programs. The study groupmembers developed a program identification form and a programdescription form, which were disseminated to 100 transition programs.This guide provides findings from the 24 responding programs. Thesefindings concern demographics, program rationale, activity types,decisionmaking, staff development, communications, records transfer,resources, and accomplishments and obstacles in relation to earlychildhood transition activities. Developed for educators and careproviders, the guide includes: an introduction with background on thework of the Early Childhood Transition Study Group, a rationale forthe importance of transition practices developed from a review ofrelated literature, a description of the methodology and findingsfrom responses to the group's Program Description Form, andrecommendations for practitioners. The following areas of difficultyfor transition programs were acknowledged: (1) communicating acrossagencies and with families; (2) identifying and reaching out tochildren with limited program resources; (3) sharing records withoutbreaching confidentiality; (4) coordinating procedures with otheragencies while adhering to funding agency guidelines; (5) helpingchildren and families visit new settings; and (6) finding time forsending and receiving program teachers to craft individuallyappropriate transition efforts for all children and their families. AService Provider Directory of study respondents and a bibliography onearly childhood transitions are included. Appendices contain theEarly Childhood Transitions Study Group Program Identification Form,Program Description Form, a Reflections and Recommendations Form andelements and exemplary practices for home, school, and communitylinkages. A separately published brochure, "Easing the Transitionfrom Preschool to Kindergarten, A Guide for Early Childhood Teachersand Administrators," is attached. (AA)
*le
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOthce 01 Educational Remearch end Improvement
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERICI
sAThis document has been reproduced asreceived from the DerSon or organizationoriginating .1
0 Minor changes have been made 10 improvereproduction Quality
Points 01 view or opinion; svited in this document dO not neCessanly represent oil 'alOEM posmon or policy
Early Childhood Transitions:Preparing Children and
Families for Change
A Joint Study by
WVEAWest Virginia Education Association
and
Appalachia Educational Laboratory
November 1994
Funded in part by the
Office of Educational Research and improvementU. S. Department of Education
Washington, D. C.
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
The Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL), Inc., works with educators in ongoing R & D-
based efforts to improve education and educational opportunity. AEL serves as the RegionalEducational Laboratory for Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia and operates theEisenhower Regional Math/Science Consortium for these same four states. It also operates theERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools.
AEL works to improve:professional quality,curriculum and instruction,community support, andopportunity for access to quality education by all children.
Information about AEL projects, programs, and services is available by writing or calling AEL.
Post Office Box 1348Charleston, West Virginia 25325-1348
304/347-0400800/624-9120 (toll-free)
304/347-0487 (FAX)
Help Us Improve AEL Publications
Readers are requested to complete the product evaluation formincluded within and to fold, staple, and return it to AEL.Suggestions for future AEL publications are welcome.
This document is available from AEL's Distribution Center for $5.00,postage and handling included.
This publication is based on work sponsored wholly or in part by the Office of EducationalResearch and Improvement, U. S. Department of Education, under contrinct number RP91002002.
Its contents do not necessarily reflect the views of OERI, the Department, or any other agency of the
U. S. Government.
AEL is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994
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Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section Page
Acknowledgments
Executive Summary vii
Introduction 1
Planning and Conducting the Study 1
Purpose 2
Rationale 3
What Is Transition? 3
Why Are Transition Services Needed? 3
What Are Effective Transition Services? 4
What Are the Effects of Transition Services? 7
Legal Requirements for Early Childhood Transitions 11
Methodology and Findings 15
Methodology 15
Demographic Data 16
Transition Activities, Services, and Practices 17
Professional Development on Transition Issues 18
Communications and Gaining Support 19
Transition Readiness 19
Transfer of Records Upon Transition 20
Program Evaluation 20
Accomplishments 21
Obstacles 21
Resources 22
Recommendations 22
Service Provider Directory 25
Bibliography 32
Appendices 34
Appendix A: WVEA-AEL Early Childhood Transitions Study Group:Program Identification Form 36
Appendix B: WVEA-AEL Early Childhood Transitions Study Group:Program Description Form 38
Appendix C: WVEA-AEL Early Childhood Transitions Study Group:Reflections and Recommendations Form 42
Appendix D: Continuity in Early Childhood: A Framework of Home,School, and Community LinkagesElements and Exemplary Practices 46
"Easing the Transition from Preschool to Kindergarten, A Guide for Early Childhood Teachers and Administrators"
(provided with each copy of product disseminated)
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994
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Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The West Virginia Education Association(WVEA) and the Appalachia Educational Labora-tory (AEL) wish to thank the following educators,the WVEA-AEL Early Childhood Transitions StudyGroup who developed Early Childhood Transitions:Preparing Children and Families for Change. Their timeand efforts spent in literature review, survey devel-opment and distribution, data analysis, writing,and editing are much appreciated.
Lynn Bolen, Director, SouthwesternCommunity Action Head Start TransitionDemonstration Project, Huntington
Lou Ann Fenney, Associate Director, RiverValley Child Development Services,Huntington
Rose Mary Irwin, Kindergarten Teacher,Summers County Schools
Cynthia Lemon, Head Start Teacher,Kanawha County Schools
Kathy McCullough, Parent and ChildAdvocate, Charleston
Dee Dee Simoneau, Child Care Coordina-tor, River Valley Child DevelopmentServices, Huntington
Diana Startzel, Kindergarten Teacher,Boone County Schools
Carol Williams, Preschool Coordinator, Officeof Special Education Programs and Assurances,West Virginia Department of Education, was ac-tively involved in the study. She gave assistance inconceptualizing the study, nominating members,providing resource documents, disseminating Pro-
gram Identification Forms, and reviewing the gn)up'sproduct. Also collaborating on study group formu-lation and member nomination were Barbara Merrill,Early Childhood Specialist, Governor's Cabinet onChildren and Families and Sharon Flack, Early Child-hood Specialist, West Virginia Department of Edu-cation. Carol Perroncel, Early Childhood Specialist,AEL, provided numerous resources and responsesto questions throughout the group's work. Thefaculty and administrators of study group memberschools and programs were most accommodatingduring study group member program visits andmeetings, and were responsive to questions.
Essential to this project were those directors andstaff of preschools, Head Start programs, Early Inter-vention (E.I.) programs, child care referral services,and kindergartens who responded to the ProgramDescription Form and to followup questions. Theirtime and efforts, like those of study group members,were voluntary and their responses compose thefoundation of the document. Many provided addi-tional descriptive information beyond what wasrequested. Contact information for each is providedin the Service Provider Directory.
AEL works with educator associations to iden-tify topics of interest to educators and to involveeducators as members so that the resulting studygroup publications will be useful. As in previousWVEA-AEL study groups, the WVEA presidentKayetta Meadows, a former kindergarten teacher,was helpful in conceptualizing the study, nominat-ing members, and reviewing the final document.Additional thanks go to Dennis Giordano, WVEAexecutive director for reviewing the document, andto Jackie Goodwin, WVEA communications direc-tor, for assisting the study group's search for transi-tion programs and for announcing, copying, anddisseminating to members Early Childhood Transi-
West Virginia Education Association & AEI. November 1994
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
(ions: Preparing Children and Families for Change.The final publication is enriched by the accom-
panying brochure, "Easing the Transition from Pre-school to Kindergarten, A Guide for Early Child-hood Teachers and Administrators," which waspublished by the Head Start Bureau of the U.S.Department of Health and Human Services. Therecommendations offer sound advice in a clear andconcise format for those facilitating early childhoodtransitions between a variety of settings. Thanks tothe Bureau for providing the guide for each dissemi-nated copy of the study group's product.
Finally, AEL staff who worked to blend the
voices of many into one document, and who re-searched, developed, edited, rewrote, and typesetthe final copy contributed greatly to the quality ofthis publication. The authors wish to thank thefollowing AEL staff who contributed:
Soleil GreggJane HangeCarolyn LuzaderCarla McClurePatricia PennMarsha PrittSara StrickerKaren Simon
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994
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Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Will all children start school ready to learn in theyear 2000? If the nation is to reach its first educationgoal by the year 2000 or later, collaboration amongearly childhood educators, care providers, socialand health service agencies, and families will beessential. High-quality programs of developmen-tally appropriate care and education are necessarynot only in the home, but also in external care set-tings, pre-school, Head Start, kindergarten and pri-mary grades, and early care providers. These agen-cies and families must interact to ensure that all ofsociety's children including those most vulnerablethe disadvantaged and developmentally delayedchildrenwill start school on equal footing withothers of their age. To help close the gap between the"have" and the "have-not" children will requireexamining and improving transition processes thatassist all children and families as they move frompreschool to medical service to social serviceagencywhile also providing support as these chil-dren progress from early intervention to Head Startor from preschool to kindergarten.
Federal funds are now available to educatorsand social service programs, such as Head Start andearly intervention, to establish and extend effectiveprograms. New opportunities exist to serve eligiblechildren who have not been identified or previouslyserved. "Helping children should be viewed as aninvestment, not a cost, since failure to act surely willmean far higher payments later on in remedial edu-cation, in unemployment, in crimein wasted livesand promises unfulfilled" (Boyer, 1992, p. 11).
With many public and private entities servingyoung children and continually seeking to improvetheir programs, the casual observer might concludethat the needs of most youngsters are being fully
met. Research has concluded otherwise. Studiesthat have looked at the problem of transitions (i.e.,Love, Logue, Trudeau, and Thayer, 1992) haveshown that the dissonance created during transi-tions is especially difficult for children. This feelingof destabilization affects children as they bouncefrom care provider to care provider when changestake place in the family or when finances fluctuateand care circumstances are altered. Those who arethe most significantly affected are the children in thecritical growth years of birth through eight.
Children and families in West Virginia encoun-ter the same discontinuities of care as do those inmore urban areas when they face transitions. They,too, face unfaminar surroundings and care provid-ers, uncertain continuity in conditions that nurturedevelopment, and unlikely chances for proper as-sessment and communication of progress to newcare providers. The rural nature of the state compli-cates transition since social services are often cen-tered in the few major cities, preschools are nonexist-ent in the most remote areas, and Head Start andearly intervention programs suffer from too fewchildren scattered over too wide an area to makeadequate service cost effective. Even with theseobstacles, individuals, schools, and agencies arechanging practices and policies to ensure smoothtransitions for children and families.
To investigate transition activities used in WestVirginia by preschools, Head Start and early inter-vention programs, the state's Head Start TransitionDemonstration Project, and kindergartens, a studygroup was formed. The West Virginia EducationAssociation (WVEA) and the Appalachia Educa-tional Laboratory (AEL) sponsored the group ofrepresentatives of those most involvedearly child-
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994
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Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
hood care provider directors, Head Start and kinder-garten teachers, and parent/child advocates. Work-ing with the West Virginia Department of Educationand the Governor's Cabinet on Children and Fami-lies, WVEA and AEL identified individuals andinvited their participation. Study group membersand the AEL facilitator then conceptualized thestudythe identification of early childhood transi-tion activities used in representative settings in thestate.
Study group members developed a ProgramIdentification Form and Program Description Formwhich AEL disseminated to more than 100 "transi-tion stakeholders" identified by collaborating De-partment of Education staff. Those receiving theforms included Head Start and Head Start Transi-tion Demonstration Project directors, preschool di-rectors, Early Intervention specialists (special needschild assistants), the state's child care director, spe-cial education representatives, parents, and othersconcerned with continuity between preschool andschool settings for children. Reminder forms weremailed and phone interviews conducted to clarifyresponses, when necessary, to provide a sampling oftransition activities used in early childhood settingsthroughout the state.
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Childrenand Families for Change presents study group find-ings from the 24 responding programs. These find-ings concern demographics, program rationale, ac-tivity types, decisionmaking, staff development, com-munications, records transfer, resources, and ac-complishments and obstacles in relation to earlychildhood transition activities. A directory of earlychildhood service providers reporting transition ac-tivities is also included in this study as is a bibliogra-phy on early childhood transitions.
Also included are recommendations from re-spondents and study group members and from re-lated research on the organization and operation of
-.activities that provide smooth transitions for chil-dren and their families.
Respondents currently employing transitionactivities and study group members acknowledgeddifficulties of (1) communicating across agenciesand with families; (2) identifying and reaching out tochildren with limited program resources; (3) sharingrecords without breaching confidentiality; (4) coor-dinating procedures with other agencies while ad-hering to funding agency guidelines; (5) helpingchildren and families visit new settings; and (6)finding time for sending and receiving programteachers to craft individually appropriate transitionefforts for all children and their families. While fewprograms had formal methods of evaluating theeffectiveness of their transition activities, most re-lied on feedback from families and receiving pro-gram staff.
Respondents to the Program Description Formand study group members most frequently recom-mended the following:
Communicate early and often with all partiesand identify why transition is helpful to each.
Develop working relationships with staff inreceiving programs. Establish staff exchangesbetween programs to observe practices.
Use a global release of information for all agencies
involved.
Hold spring and fall transition meetings orworkshops to orient parents.
Work with families to empower them to see alloptions (public or private school, child care,Head Start, etc.) and to make decisions that bestfit their needs and the child's.
Listen to the individual child and to the family.
Develop a transition plan and stick to it.
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994
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Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
EARLY CHILDHOOD TRANSITIONS:
PREPARING CHILDREN AND
FAMILIES FOR CHANGE
This document, developed for educators andcare providers, is organized into the following sec-tions: an Introduction with background on the workof the Early Childhood Transitions Study Group, aRationale for the importance of transition practicesdeveloped from a review of related literature, adescription of the Methodology and Findings fromresponses to the group's Program Description Form,Recommendations for practioners, a Service Pro-
vider Directory of respondents to the study, and aBibliography. This guide does not profess to includedescriptions of all early childhood transition ser-vices in West Virginia. It provides insights fromindividuals currently using practices that help chil-dren and families make successful transitions be-tween programs. To that end, it should be useful tothose seeking to establish or improve connectionsbetween agencies and schools that help children.
INTRODUCTION
Planning and Conductingthe Study
The path between home and school, in terms ofchild development, may today be much more con-voluted than in the past. Frequently, children ofsingle parents or two working parents are shuttledbetween relatives, two or more child care providers,clinics, and/or social service agencies during thecourse of a typical week. During the five-year pe-riod before a child typically enters full-day schoolsessions, he or she may have experienced a differentchild care setting as often as every few months.While children frequently seem to adjust to changeperhaps more quickly and flexibly than do theirparents, the number of transitions and the ease withwhich the child and family make transitions mayaffect normal development and/or the bonding be-tween the child and family members or caregivers.For this reason, the West Virginia Education Asso-ciation (WVEA) and the Appalachia Educational
Laboratory (AEL) sought to identify effective tran-sition services defined as those offering stability tochildren and families while developing connec-tions among service settings when change is neces-sary. Continuity versus discontinuity horizontally,as children move among settings at a given time,andvertically, as they move between care/ educationsettings over time, is the goal of effective transitionservices and activities (Kagan, 1992). The challengeconfronting the study group was to locate WestVirginia programs that assisted children and fami-lies in horizontal transitions (among current set-tings) and vertical transitions (across the years asthey moved to new care providers or to kindergar-ten).
WVEA president Kayetta Meadows, a formerkindergarten teacher, and AEL's Classroom Instruc-tion program staff proposed a study group of earlychildhood educators, child care providers, and par-ents to investigate transition activitie: in West Vir-ginia early childhood settings. Early childhood spe-
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994 1
4k.)1.
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
cialists from the Governor's Cabinet on Childrenand Families, the West Virginia Department of Edu-cation, WVEA, and AEL assisted with the nomina-tion of study group members.
Study group members, including one director ofchild care services, one director of early interventionservices, one director of a Head Start transition pro-gram, one Head Start teacher, two kindergartenteachers, and one parent advocate for special needschildren, began their work in December 1993. Thegroup identified the development of a guide totransition activities as their final product and as-sisted in the development of a Program Identifica-tion Form (Appendix A) to begin locating programswi transition activities/ services. Dissemination ofthe Form began with a statewide Transition Stake-holder Meeting convened by the West Virginia De-partment of Education Office of Special EducationPrograms and Assurances. Members then followedup with two mailings of the Program DescriptionForm they developed (Appendix B) to the more than90 West Virginia transition stakeholders identifiedby Office staff. Study group members with transi-tion activities in their programs also completed theProgram Description Form. A total of 23 completedProgram Description Forms were returned. Re-sponses from these Forms are the basis of theMethology and Findings and the Service ProviderDirectory sections.
Study group members (1) reviewed data fromthe Program Description Forms, (2) completed itemanalysis across program responses for specific ques-tions, (3) compiled the Service Provider Directory ,(4) completed a review of legal requirements fortransition, and (5) reviewed and edited drafts of thisdocument. During the course of the group's work,meetings were held at members' facilities to observeearly childhood programs and discuss transitionwith educators associated with the programs. Addi-tional advisors to the group included BerthaCampbell, consultant in professional developmentto the national Head Start Transition DemonstrationProject, and Sandra Barkey, Director of the Office for
2
Exceptional Children, Kanawha County (WV)Schools. Study group members completed a Recom-mendations and Reflections Form (Appendix C) toprovide suggestions to those interested in beginningtransition activities and to evaluate the study groupprocess. Data from these responses and from Pro-gram Description Form responses comprise the Rec-ommendations sub-section.
AEL staff developed the Introduction and Ratio-nale sections and the Bibliography, and edited allsections to form the final draft. This draft wascritiqued by three external content experts; CarolMitchell, Office of Educational Research and Im-provement (OERI), Washington, DC; Carol Will-iams, Preschool Coordinator, Office of Special Edu-cation Programs and Assurances, West VirginiaDepartment of Education; study group members;the WVEA president; and the WVEA executive di-rector. Final changes were incorporated, the docu-ment was typeset, and camera-ready masters wereproduced by AEL staff. Both AEL's DistributionCenter and WVEA print and disseminate Early Child-hood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families forChange upon request.
Purpose
WVEA, AEL, and study group members expectEarly Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children andFamilies for Change to serve as a guide for earlychildhood educators in preschool or K-12 settingswho seek to establish smooth transitions for childrenand families. By offering a description of transitionactivities and observations on obstacles as well asaccomplishments, the guide should assist readers inlearning about common transition activities and inavoiding problems experienced by others. Studygroup members have summarized information re-ported by early childhood program contacts. Noendorsement or verification of activities reported isstated or implied. Readers are encouraged to writeor phor e program directors for further information.
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
RATIONALE
What is "transition"?We have focused on school outcomes,forgetting that if children do not have agood beginningif they are not wellnurtured and well loved during the firstyears of lifeit will be difficult, if notimpossible, to compensate fully for suchfailings later on. (Boyer, 1991, p. 4)
In Ready to Learn, A Mandate for the Nation, Boyerrecommends a seven-step approach to helping fami-lies prepare children for school. While these goalsare laudable, today transitions are often haphazardbetween the home, child care, Head Start programs,age 0-3 early intervention programs, other preschoolsettings and kindergarten.
Change between settings during the child's dayor week as well as change between settings acrossthe years are referred to as "transitions" by manyand as "continuity" by others (Kagan, 1992, Re-gional Educational Laboratories Early ChildhoodCollaboration Network, 1993). Love, Logue,Trudeau, and Thayer (1q92), in their national studyof transitions to kindergarten, define transition as"those activities initiated by schools or preschools tobridge the gap between the preschool and kinder-garten experiences" (p. 6). Kagan's emphasis dis-criminates between vertical continuitytransitionsthat bridge the gaps between major time periods ofa child's life, e.g., home to preschool and preschoolto schooland horizontal continuitytransitionsthat bridge gaps within the same time frame, e.g.,between health, social service, or education/childcare providers during the same day, week, ormonth.
As early childhood researchers have focusedmore intently on transitions between and amongsettings for children and their families, a clear cry for
a continuum of services throughout the birth to ageeight (or beyond) period has been advanced andexemplary practices introduced (see essential ele-ments identified by the Regional Educational Lalo-ratories Early Childhood Collaboration Network inAppendix D). Seamless delivery of services is nowthe stated objective of many programs, yet identify-ing effective transition activities currently in opera-tion is difficult. Also, offering transition servicesdoes not guarantee that the services will be effectivefor children and families most in need.
Why are transition services needed?There is no inherent value in continuity for its
own sake. Some discontinuity of experience is anormal part of maturation. Children learn from newexperiences, and over time learn that expectationsvary in different settings. The concern here is thattransitions for young children may be overly abruptand that children may go from a situation that isappropriate for their age and developmental levelsto one that is not. (Love et al. p. 6)
Love et al. state that only 21 percent of districtsreported a "wide range" of transition activities andfew schools within districts could identify a varietyof such services. In a national survey completed in1993 by the National Center for Education Statistics,only 27 percent of public school kindergarten teach-ers assumed that by the end of the kindergarten yearall children would be ready for first grade. Addi-tionally, while 85 percent of kindergarten teachersindicated that they regularly practice one of the mostcommon transition activitiescommunicating withfirst grade teachers about the child's progress todatecommunication between preschool and
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994 3
14:
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
kindergarten teachers is much more infrequent. Evenproximity of the preschool and kindergarten pro-grams in the same school does not en ure communi-cation among teachers. Love et al. reported thatrystematic communication between kindergartenteachers and all previous caregivers or teachers aboutthe entering children was described by only 10 per-cent of respondents to his national survey of schooldistricts.
Kagan described several challenges faced bychildren as they move from home and preschool tothe elementary grades including:
spending more time away from home;
adjusting to an elementary school environmentthat is likely to place more emphasis on formaleducational experiences, including acquiringreading and mathematics skills and being tested,than in their prior experiences;
sharing the attention of the teacher Tith morechildren than before;
in some cases, not having the child's prioraccomplishments and strengths in preschoolrecognized and built upon; and
possibly as a result of such lack of recognition,being unnecessarily misplaced or even retainedin one or another elementary school level orprogram. (p. 1)
Similarly, Copple, Deich, Brush, and Hofferth(1993) discuss the obstacles to learning readinessthat exist within and without the child care/educa-tion realm of services for young children and fami-lies. For example, while only a healthy child can beready to learn, low birth weight, prenatal alcoholsyndrome and drug addiction, inadequate prenatalnutrition, exposure prenatally and in infancy tosmoking, lack of proper immunizations and pediat-ric care, lead poisoning, poor health practices, andlack of access to health care all jeopardize 3 child'sability to learn. Although a stable and caring envi-ronment supports learning, elements such as di-
vorce, single-parent families, teenage parents, pov-erty, abuse and neglect, homelessness, unsafe homesand neighborhoods, inadequate parenting skills, and
71111111=
stress associated with all these factors can contributeto learning difficulties. Finally, while a child canlearn to his /her full potential in an engaging, re-sponsive school environment, inappropriate teach-ing practices, crowded classrooms, unsafe schools,lack of bilingual instruction, lack of parental in-volvement, and little coordination between schooland social service agencies all create roadblocks tolearning (pp. 5-9).
Although many of these obstacles may not beviewed as unf'.er the control of schools, without thedeliberate attention of early childhood educators toovercome these challenges, children, especially thosefrom low-income families, will continue to flounderupon reaching new settings. Research into the learn-ing of young children indicates that development isbest facilitated when basic needs are met and whenchildren are firmly grounded in their present stageof developme oi context, and appropriately chal-lenged to r. :3 to the next stage or setting (RegionalEducation:a Laboratories, p. 5). Sharing informa-tion about children and programsbetween preschooland kindergarten teachers, care providers, and so-cial service agencies can reinforce the continuum ofintegrated services and smooth transitions. Butcommunication is only one of a wide array of transi-tion activities or strategies.
What are effective transition'rvices?
Transition is establishing an effective workingrelationshipbetween the sending and the receivingagencies. Therefore, successful transition necessi-tates effective interagency coordination. The keys tointeragency collaboration are perceptions, interper-sonal dynamics, participation; and communication(Byrd, Rous, Stephens, Dyk, and Perry, p. 13).
Transition services should occur not only inschools and preschool programs and between schoolsand families, but services are also needed amongeducators, care providers, and social service agen-cies. In their description of essential elements ofcontinuity, researchers from the Regional Educa-tional Laboratories Early Childhood CollaborationNetwork include eight critical elements and de-
4 West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
scribe indicators characteristic of practice for eachelement. The elements are listed below. Indicators ofexemplary practice for each are provided inAppendix C.
1. Family, school, and community partners shar-ing leadership and responsibility for decisionmaking.
2. A continuum of family-focused, comprehen-sive, integrated services.
3. Policies, programs, and practices that demon-strate the education, involvement, and empow-erment of families.
4. Policies, programs, and practices that demon-strate a sensitivity to the culture and languageof children and their families.
5. Communication among all adults who are re-sponsible for the children's care and education.
6. A coordinated approach to staff developmentacross agencies to enhance implementation ofhome, school, and community linkages.
7. Developmentally appropriate and culturallysensitive curriculum, instruction, and assess-ment.
8. Documentation and reporting of outcomes whichare used to refine and /or expand linkages (p. 6).
In their review of the literature describing pro-cesses especially suited to preschool-kinder-garten-grade one transitions, Love and associatesidentified three critical elements: (1) preschool pro-grams that have the potential for producing benefitsthat are worth retaining, (2) an effective elementaryschool program, and (3) a transfer process witheffective activities and events designed to overcomediscontinuities. In their analysis of survey and sitevisit data, Love et al. reported the following at-tributes of effective transition:
coordination (including curriculum continuityand orientation visits for teachers, parents, andstudents) and communication between thekindergarten and any prekindergarten programsthe children come from;
parent involvement in transition; and
formal written policies relating to transition andcontinuity (p. 59-60).
Kagan reported the following effective transi-tion elements gleaned from a study of 15 sites of theHead Start Transition Project:
written transition agreements between HeadStart programs and the schools;
consistent and devoted attention to children'sneeds at the time of transition, including theorderly passing on of written records and homevisits;
transition efforts that function throughout theyear;
training for parents in dealing with the publiceducation system; and
visits by kindergarten teachers and children toHead Start programs, and vice versa (p. 7).
Specific models of effective early childhood tran-sition programs are available for study. Love, in hisdiscussion of structural arrangements, transitionactivities, and approaches to continuity, describesfindings from the study's eight site visits. Structuralarrangements that appear to support continuity in-clude the locating of developmental preschoolswithin the school and designating regional earlychildhood education centers that serve all childrenin preschool through grade two or higher. Both ofthese approaches provide opportunities for teacherinvolvement in effective strategies such as: (1) imple-mentation of developmentally appropriate curricu-lum from preschool through elementary school; (2)frequent visitations and communications betweenpreschool and elementary teachers; (3) sharing ofrecords on students; (4) common professional devel-opment experiences for teachers of all levels; (5)student visitations across programs and multiagegrouping; and (6) continuity in communicationswith families.
Sugarman (1991) described the advantages of anearly childh ood system, a "set of arrangements un-der which individuals, programs, and activities workwith one another" (p. 37). Suggestions appropriate
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994
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5
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
to the continuity of service to children include:
Arranging complementary services (e.g., for achild attending a part-day Head Start programin the morning and a family child care programin the afternoon).
Making it possible for a child to remain in thesame program even though the source of fundingchanges.
Arranging program services that a single serviceprovider cannot efficiently provide (e.g., familyinformation, advanced training, child assess-ments).
Arranging linkages that are too complex forservice programs to make on their own (e.g., useof Medicaid funds and a community health andmental health services).
Establishing training and staff developmentprograms that serve many providers and createcareer opportunities. (p. 37).
Sugarman proposes the creation of a "state coor-dinator" position in each state to (1) serve as advo-cate for young children; (2) oversee development ofthe early childhood elements of each of the federallyrequired state plans; (3) negotiate working agree-ments with Head Start grantees; (4) negotiate work-ing agreements on program responsibilities amongproviders; and (5) negotiate working agreements forcollaborations with state, local, and private agenciesthat provide specialized services for children andfamilies. Another essential aspect of the systemsapproach to collaboration for early childhood transi-tions is the opportunity for program improvementsthrough the cooperation of agency representativesin joint subsystems cn planning, family information,child assessment, nutrition and nutrition education,eligibility requirements, and other areas (pn). 37-45).
Copple et al. described five characteristics com-mon to the 24 "promising comprehensive state andlocal strategies" they ident:fied that address na-tional education goal #1:
Comprehensiveness, flexibility, and integrationof services for children and families;
A focus on the whole family and the child asfamily member;
6
Accessible, client-centered services;
Environment and strategies conducive tobuilding relationships of trust and respect withchildren and families; and
Emphasis on prevention rather than remediation.
Collaboration is key to ensuring continuity inservice to children and families across the years.Recognizing the importance of interagency relation-ships in Readiness for School, The Early ChildhoodChallenge, the Southern Regional Education Board(SREB) described programs that incorporate this.These include (1) the "LINK" project in Tulsa, Okla-homa that has nurse practitioners visit child carecenters and screen children up to age six for physicaland developmental problems and link children toappropriate agencies for assistance; (2) WestVirginia's Governor's Cabinet on Children and Fami-lies which organizes and facilitates planning andfunding for comprehensive programs of social ser-vices in rural communities; and (3) Kentucky's Fam-ily Resource Centers, which provide social and healthservices appropriate to community needs within theschool system's elementary schools (SREB, 1992).
Collaboration for education is central to theHome Instructional Program for Preschool Young-sters (HIPPY) in Arkansas and other states in whichparents attend support groups and training sessionson a weekly basis to ease the transitions betweenpreschool and kindergarten for children and fami-lies (SREB, 1992). Community collaboration is alsothe focus of Project STEPS (Sequenced Transition toEducation in the Public Schools) that established aservice delivery model and parent training for insur-ing successful transition of special needs childrenfrom preschool to school settings and, with federalassistance, expanded to a system for model demon-stration and dissemination (Byrd et al.).
Finally, uniting the partners (families, child careproviders and educators, and health/ social serviceagencies) can work successfully at different levels.Once they have identified their own needs and be-gun to explore solutions that require the assistanceof others, agencies can decide to cooperate, coordi-nate, or collaborate to achieve the level of interde-pendence they want to or can achieve. Relationships
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
among agencies that begin with cooperation canmove as trust is developed over time to greaterinterdependence in functions characteristic of col-laboration.
. What are the effects oftransition services?
Transition across settings has been more care-fully addressed during the expansion of services toyoung children, especially those with developmen-tal delays. This has occurred during the past thirtyyears with the passage of federal legislation regard-ing individuals with disabilities and the creation ofthe Head Start program for children who are disad-vantaged. Yet careful documentation and evalua-tion of the effectiveness of transition programs hasjust begun.
The 1992 comprehensive study by Love andassociates looked at the transition requirements ofthe Head Start program and the demonstration pro-grams begun by Head Start to extend support forchild development into the primary grades. In theirdiscussion of Follow Through, Project Developmen-tal Continuity and the Administration for Children,Youth, and Family (ACYF) "National Initiative onTransition from Preschool to Elementary School,"the authors described findings from evaluation stud-ies of transition projects. For example, the ACYFreported that as teachers increased their participa-tion in transition activities, they rated higher thepreparedness of Head Start children and rated lowerthe initial stress of children entering school. Princi-pals and teachers who participated more in tra. tsi-tion activities reported greater involvement withparents.
Additional findings from the Love et , exami-nation of evaluation studies related to transitionprojects include the Abecedarian Project, a "care-fully controlled early intervention program in NorthCarolina." Children from six weeks to kindergartenage were served in a program with primary empha-sis on parent involvement, child health, and cogni-tive and social stimulation. "Preliminary studies ofprogram effectiveness showed trends similar to thoseof other early intervention projects: benefits for
participating children plateaued in early elementaryschool. When participants entered first grade, halfwere randomly assigned to a home /school resourceteacher who provided liaison services to familiesand teachers. Third grade test results found that interms of both IQ scores and achievement data, themost successful children were those who partici-pated in both the early intervention and elemental.;support and the children with the poorest outcomeswere those without benefit of either service" (p. A-7).
Other effects of transition programs were notedin the Love et al. analysis. The Brookline EarlyEducation Project was a school-based program de-signed to prevent school-related difficulties withservices for parents and to offer programs for chil-dren from infancy to age five. While a range ofsocioeconomic levels was represented, most partici-pating families were middle class. Love reported:"Participating children, upon reaching second grade,were found to have significantly fewer classroombehavior problems and less difficulty in reading."However, increased staff outreach was necessary toproduce these effects for children whose parents hadless formal education (p. A-8).
Retention in grade and extra-year programs aretwo approaches to transition that are commonlyused in schools but rarely have been supported byresearch findings. Holmes's (1989) meta-analysis of64 studies on retention showed only nine with posi-tive effects of these common practices. While thoseretained showed an immediate advantage after re-tention, this declined until after three years no differ-ence existed between those who were and those whowere not retained.
While more than 40 states report readiness ortransition classes, research has not proven the utilityof this means of transition. Smith and Shepard(1989) reported that "two years in kindergarten,even when one year is labeled 'transition program,'fail to enhance achievement or solve the problem ofinadequate school readiness" (p. A-10).
Transition is specifically addressed in federalrequirements related to young children with dis-abilities. Early Intervention programs, mandated bythe Individuals with Disabilities Education Act(IDEA) and federally funded to assure assistance toall children age 0-3 with developmental impair-
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994 7
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
ments, are required to include policies and proce-dures to "ensure smooth transition" between set-tings. Such policies and procedures must includedescriptions of how families will be involved; notifi-cation to the receiving setting; and convening (withparental consent) of a conference of all parties toreview the child's program options and to establisha transition plan. Head Start program educators arealso required to prepare plans that address transi-tion of children from early intervention programsinto Head Start and from Head Start into next place-ments. These include individual child transitionplans and individual family support plans. Prepara-tion of staff to -work with children with all types ofdisabilities (including severe) for these transitions isalso stipulated. Interagency agreements that detailthe roles and responsibilities each agency fills inproviding or paying for services are also required ofEarly Intervention programs and all programs forchildren with disabilities aged 0-21 (including HeadStart programs).
Summaries of evaluation findings have beenreleased on the Head Start demonstration projectsthat focus on "a unified and continuous program ofcomprehensive services beginning in Head Startand continuing through at least third grade." Se-lected recommendations from early analysis of thesedata in "The Head Start-Public School TransitionDemonstration, What Are We Learning?" (Admin-istration for Children, Youth, and Families, 1993)include:
Although transition may be seen as everyone'sresponsibility, in order for the process to keepmoving it must be someone's full time job, notjust an item in multiple job descriptions.
Since nondegreed staff are trained in childdevelopment and kindergarten and primaryteachers are trained in early childhood edu-cation, issues resulting from differences in "howchildren learn" and "how to teach youngchildren" have to be addressed in a variety ofways to ensure continuity of curriculum andclassroom practice, and for the overall transitionexperience for children to be successful.
Attrition rates of between 12 and 53 percentmust be reduced to establish continuity ofservices for children and families.
8
Few intact Head Start classes move together tobecome members of the same kindergartenclasses. Ways to increase this practice and / or toreduce the complexity of transition activitiesacross multiple receiving and sending agenciesneed to be identified.
"Turf" issues and battles are real and must bedealt with before progress can be made. Evenperceived rather than real "turf" issuesnegatively affect the behavior of the individualswho hold them.
Families care about their children. They willbecome as involved as the programs/schoolswill let them. Schools are opening earlier andstaying open later. Stereotypes of "poor" ordisadvantaged families are being destroyedthrough active family participation.
Everyone affected or likely to be affected mustbe involved before the important decisions aremade and before the final designsand processesare in place.
This section of Early Childhood Transitions: Pre-paring Children and Families for Change has definedearly childhood transitions and responded to the"what, why, and how" questions based on recentliterature. The remaining sections examine the"what" and "where" of early childhood transitionprograms and activities in West Virginia through asummary of responses to the Program DescriptionForm (Appendix B). Demographics; activities, ser-vices, and practices; communication; professionaldevelopment; resources; accomplishments and ob-stacles; evaluation methods; legal requirements; pro-gram descriptions; and recommendations toimplementors from both Description Form respon-dents and study group members are included, alongwith a bibliography.
The "who" question can best be answered byyou, the reader. Successful transitions for youngchildren and their families will require efforts thatmay fall beyond the scope of current job descrip-tions. As an educator, child care provider, socialworker, health care professional, parent, or guard-ian, you may need to initiate change on behalf ofchildren if the benefits of continuity are to be real-ized. Your assistance may be in the form of interven-
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
lions for one child and family or in the creation ofcoordinated practices and policies that benefit manychildren and families this year and in years to come.The full merit of your ideas and actions may or maynot be recognized. Perhaps a test of significance to
apply would be to ask what would become of thechildren if your new initiative for smooth earlychildhood transitions never occurred. Study groupmembers and cosponsors of this publication, WVEAand AEL, wish you much success.
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994 9
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
LEGAL REQUIREMENTS FOR
EARLY CHILDHOOD TRANSITIONS
In the world of early childhood education andchild care services, many providers are taking ac-tions to offer assistance to children and families,especially for special needs students, as they transi-tion between home, early intervention, preschool,and kindergarten settings. The focus to date hasbeen on establishing transition services for thosemost in need or most likely to encounter difficulty inregular settingsspecial needs children and thosefrom disadvantaged families. These actions, in mostcases, are in response to more than 27 federal lawsv,,Ith sections relating to young children and numer-ous laws, policies, and regulations established at thestate level in response to federal legislation andfunding priorities (Sugarman, p. 22).
Of the laws, three sections of federal legislationmost directly require states to establish specific prac-tices and requirements regarding transitions in con-junction with early intervention for special needschildren or Head Start programs. Two of thesesections are Parts H and B of the Individuals withDisabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA was origi-nally passed in 1975 as the Education for All Handi-capped Children Act (Public Law 94-142), whichwas modified and superseded in 1990 by IDEA. PartH (section 303.148) of IDEA relates to transitions forchildren from ea.ly intervention (services for chil-dren from 0-3 years) to preschool programs. Part B(section 300.54) also refers to transition of individu-als from Part H to Part B or from preschool to schoolor to other programs for children aged 3-21. Thethird section that requires action on transitions bystates and local education agencies is Head Startlegislation (reauthorized as part of the Human Ser-
vices Reauthorization [Augustus Hawkins] Act, en-acted in 1990 with later amendments). IDEA isadministered by the U.S. Department of Education,Office of Spe Education, except for Part H, whichis administered in West Virginia by the Departmentof Health and Human Resources. The Head StartProgram is regulated by the Department of Healthand Human Services, Administration for Children,Youth, and Families.
Individuals with DisabilitiesEducation Act, Summary ofProvisions Relevant to Early
Childhood Transitions
IDEA, Part H
To qualify for federal Part H funds, IDEA re-quires that each state's Part H application "ensure asmooth transition for individuals participating inthe early intervention program under this part whoare eligible for participation in preschool programs(Part B of Act)." This application must include (1) adescription of how families will be included in thetransitional plan and (2) a description of how thePart H agency will (a) notify the appropriate localeducational agency or intermediate educational unitin which the child resides, (b) convene, with theapproval of the family, and the local educationalagency or unit, at least 90 days before the child'sthird birthday, or if earlier, the date on which thechild is eligible for the preschool program in order toreview the child's program options for the period
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994 11
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
from the child's third birthday to the school year'send and establish a transition plan; and (c) establishan interagency agreement to ensure coordination ontransition matters if the state education agency is notthe lead agency.
Part H regulations require that state guidelinesto ensure smooth transitions for children consider:
financial responsibilities of all appropriateagencies;
responsibilities for performing evaluations ofchildren;
development and implementation of anindividualized education program (IEP) or anindividualized family service plan (IFSP) foreach child consistent with the law;
coordination of communication betweenagencies and the child's family; and
mechanisms to ensure the uninterruptedprovision of appropriate services to the child.
Part H requires an IFSP for all children andfamilies receiving early intervention services. AnyIFSP must include steps that will be taken to supportthe transition of the child to preschool services, ifappropriate, or other services. These steps mustinclude:
discussions with, and training of, parentsregarding future placements and other mattersrelated to the child's transition;
procedures to prepare the child for changes inservice delivery, including steps to help thechild adjust to and function in a new setting;and,
with parental consent, the transmission ofinformation about the child to the local educationagency, to ensure continuity of services, in-cluding specified evaluation and assessmentinformation.
Part H further specifies that states can choose touse Part H funds to provide a free appropriate publiceducation, in accordance with Part B of the Act, forchildren with disabilities from their third birthday tothe beginning of the following school year.
12
IDEA, Part B
States must develop policies and procedures toensure smooth transition for children currently inearly intervention programs under IDEA, Part Hwho will enroll in preschool programs under IDEA,Part B. These must include methods of administra-tion such that when a child turns age three an IEP, oran IFSP, has been developed and implemented.
Part 301 of IDEA, Part B, establishes the Pre-school Grants for Children with Disabilities pro-gram that provides funding for special educationand related services to children aged 3-5 with dis-abilities. At the state's discretion, these preschoolfunds may be used to provide a free appropriatepublic education to two-year-old children with dis-abilities who will reach age three during the schoolyear. The section describe's parameters for services,funding requirements for states to obtain federalfunds, and distribution requirements for dispersalof grant money by states. While the program ben-efits transition between current services for childrenwith special needs aged 0-3 years and those in ser-vices for age 3-21, these regulations do not outlinewhat form appropriate transition services for chil-dren should take. Section 300.152 of Part B explainsfederal requirements for interagency agreementsthat must be addressed in each state's plan underIDEA, Part B. These agreements must specify finan-cial responsibilities and procedures for resolvinginteragency disputes in addition to describing agencyresponsibilities for services.
Head Start
The Head Start Bureau of the Administration onChildreit, Youth, and Families (ACYF) governs bothHead Start and the Head Start Transition Demon-stration projects. While funding levels have notpermitted Head Start programs to serve the manyadditional children who qualify to enroll, reauthori-zation in 1990 provided funds for program expan-sion and an additional $5,048,000 was made avail-able in late 1994 to those who qualify to open newprograms or to expand existing ones. These fundsshould expand and enhance the Head Start mission:to provide comprehensive development services(health, nutritional, education, social, and other ser-
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
vices) primarily to low-income preschool childrenand their families to help children achieve their fullpotential.
The Head Start performance standards for chil-dren with disabilities require state attention to tran-sition aspects including:
Development of a disabilities service plan whichaddresses, among other things, strategies for thetransition ofchildren into Head Start from earlyintervention services and transition of childrenfrom Head Start into next placements. Pre-paration of staff and parents for the entry ofchildren with disabilities (with particularemphasis on children with severe disabilities)into Head Start is required.
The disabilities service plan must includecommitment to interagency agreement with theschools and other agencies in the service area.
Such agreements must include participationin Child Find (identification in thecommunity of children eligible for services);joint training of parents and staff;procedures for referral, IEP meetings, andplacement decisions; transition; resourcesharing; information sharing; and otheritems agreed upon by both parties.
Informing parents of children with disabilitiesof their rights under tit? Individuals withDisabilities Education Act; offering support toparents of children with disabilities as they enterfrom infant /toddler programs.
Notifying the school by Head Start staff incooperation with parents of the planned enroll-ment of children with disabilities.
Head Start Transition DemonstrationProject
Through this initiative, funded in 1991 by HouseResolution 4151-17, federal funds are available toHead Start agencies and school districts to extendHead Start services to low-income children and fami-lies from kindergarten through third grade. Sup-portive services, including health, immunization,mental health, nutrition, parenting education, lit-
eracy, and social services are provided along withactivities to include the active involvement of par-ents in the education of their children (Sugarman, p.71). The project is designed as a three-year evalua-tion with comparable demonstration and controlgroups of Head Start and regular education studentsstudied at the 32 sites currently in operation. Nomore than one site per state may be funded. (See theService Provider Directory for the West Virginiaproject.)
Transition to Success Act of 1994
At press time for this document, legislationentitled the "Improving America's Schools Act of1993" had been proposed in the U.S. Senate thatwould establish, if enacted, Transition to SuccessChallenge Grants. The Department of Health andHuman Services would make available grants toschool districts that have formed consortia withearly childhood development programs (includingHead Start) to develop and operate programs thatassist low-income elementary school students inkindergarten through third grade and their families.Services that should be included in proposals are:
a supportive services team of family servicecoordinators to assist families, administrators,and teachers to respond to health, immunization,mental health, nutrition, social service, andeducational needs of students;
home visits and assistance to families;
a family outreach and support program includinga plan for involving parents in the managementof the program;
assistance to families, administrators, andteachers in enhancingdevelopmental continuitybetween the programs assisted under the HeadStart Act, other early childhood programs, and,elementary school classes; and
preparation of a plan for the transition of eachchild from Head Start, or other early childhooddevelopment program, to kindergarten.
Coordination between existing service programsand education and social service agencies would berequired with passage of this legislation. Specific
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994 13
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
examples include development and implementa-tion of systematic procedure for receiving records onchildren who enter school from Head Start or otherearly childhood development programs; establish-ing channels of communication between school staffand agency counterparts; conducting meetings in-volving staff of sending and receiving agencies orprograms; and organizing and participating in jointtransition-related training of staff of all programsconcerned.
Summary
Additional legislation, other than the major re-quirements discussed above, contains references toearly childhood transitions (e.g., Even Start). Thereader should note the common elements called forin the above laws or regulations. These are focusedon:
serving underserved children or those withspecial needs and their families;
14
establishing communication and collaborationacross service providers and between agenciesand schools;
involving participants including families andservice provider staff in meaningful decision-making and management of programs; and
reaching children and families where they are inhomes and through rural and urban centers.
The role of the parent as the first teacher of thechild is acknowledged as is the importance of main-taining continuity of service to ensure smooth tran-sitions. Current and future legislation that contin-ues these emphases on communication and collabo-ration with all parties should greatly aid the progressof the nation toward the achievement of nationalgoal 1: By the year 2000, all children in America willstart school ready to learn.
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994
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Early Childhoo,; Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
METHODOLOGY AND FINDINGS
MethodologyThe first task of the study was to identify West
Virginia child care providers, schools, and otherearly childhood settings that regularly use activitiesto ease the transitions between settings during agiven year and/or as the child progresses from onecare provider to the next or to kindergarten. TheAEL staff facilitator met with West Virginia Depart-ment of Education staff involved with transitionsthe Early Childhood Specialist and the StatewidePreschool Coordinator of the Office of Special Edu-cation Programs and Assurancesand with the EarlyChildhood Specialist of the Governor's Cabinet onChildren and Families for assistance in locating pro-grams. The Office of Special Education was simulta-neously coordinating a Transitions Task Force toidentify concerns and develop recommendations forstate policies and procedures to be implemented atthe local level for early childhood transitions. Tocoordinate the wort of the study group with theTask Force and to contact those individuals mostlikely to be involved with transition activities, per-sons throughout the state who were identified bytheDepartment of Education as "transition stakehold-ers" were selected as the target group.
The Program Identification Form (Appendix A)developed by study group members was distributedat a Transition Stakeholders Meeting held by theOffice of Special Education and mailed to all whoregistered for the event. The Identification Formexplained the study group's focus and asked respon-dents to recommend programs that address transi-tions between preschool and school by "offering
stability to children and families while developingconnections among service settings when change isnecessary." Study group members also completedforms and recommended individuals who shouldreceive a copy of the Identification Form. Thegroup-developed Program Description Form (Ap-pendix B) was mailed to program contact personsnamed on the returned Identification Forms. A
followup mailing to all Identification Form recipi-ents included a second copy of the IdentificationForm and the Program Description Form, shouldthey choose to recommend their own programs orshare it with others. A total of 105 transition stake-holders identified by the Department of Educationand study group members received the ProgramDescription Form, the Identification Form, and acover letter explaining the study and requestingtheir participation. These stakeholders includeddirectors of private preschools, Early Intervention(0-3 special needs child identification and assistance)services, Head Start programs, the Head Start Tran-sition Demonstration Program in the state, and thestate director of child care.
Twenty-four completed Program DescriptionForms were returned to AEL following the initialand followup mailings. This was a 25 percent re-sponse rate. Study group members determined that,based on transition service descriptions, twenty-threeof the programs could be included for further analy-sis. However, inclusion in this document does notimply an endorsement of the transition or otherservices of any providerby AEL, WVEA, or the WestVirginia Department of Education. Selected respon-dents were contacted by phone to provide missing
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994 15
2,;
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
information or further program details where neces-sary.
Study group members used frequencies andemergent category analysis to identify commonali-ties in responses as they individually summarizedthe data across all programs in developing the Find-ings section of the document. Due to the low re-sponse rate, the reporting of frequencies was usedalong with conclusions drawn from the data andexample statements typical of the most frequentresponses. The study intended to identify transitionprograms and activities where they existed. Conclu-sions about all West Virginia chile are providers,kindergarten classes, Early Inter\ .3r HeadStart programs should not be drawn. hv.. _ yer,boththe low number of Forms returned as well as thepaucity of transition activities described by theserecommended transition stakeholders may indicatethat few early childhood care providers and thereceiving schools' kindergarten programs have in-stitutionalized transition services. The followingsections report the findings.
Demographic DataAll 23 respondents completed Section I of the
Program Description Form (see Appendix B), whichinquired about program type; enrollment; years ofoperation; ages of children served; affiliation of pro-gram (fiscal agent); community type served; andstaff number, type, and ratio of staff to students.Contact information is included in the Service Pro-vider Directory section of this document. The typesand frequencies of programs are shown in Figure 1.
The program respOndent was most often thedirector or a professional staff person. The respon-dents reported service to a broad spectrum of ages ofchildren, ranging from birth to teenage. The pro-grams were based in a variety of settings, includingpublic schools (6), social service agencies (6), private(6), and one church-based. While services for chil-dren may have occurred in a school, center, or homesetting, the "base" indicated the fiscal agent or spon-soring agency for the grogram.
Thirteen of the programs served primarily ruralpopulations with a sizable number serving subur-ban and urban populations as well. Only two pro-grams did not serve a rural population. More thanhalf of the programs described services to specialneeds children. A few programs did not report ser-vices to this population.
The programs also represented a variety of sizes,both in terms of total enmilment and total staff.Program enrollments ranged in size from 27 to 712children, with an average of 170. Total staff variedgreatly based upon the type of program (i.e.,home-based versus center-based), and also uponrespondents' views of staff as full-time, part-time,contract, and / or volunteers. The range was from 4to 120 staff members with the majority of programsreporting 25 or fewer. Staff to child ratios appearedcorrelated to the age of the children served, with thelower ratios found with younger populations. WestVirginia law for child care programs requires staff tochild ratios of 1:4 for infants and toddlers up to agetwo, 1:8 for two-year-olds, 1:10 for three-year-olds,1:12 for four-year-olds, and 1:15 for five tosix-year-olds. The highest ratio reported was 1:16,the state limit for child care of school age children.
Preschools and Child Care Centers (10)
16
Head Start Programs (5)
Early Intervention/Special Education Programs (4)
JKindergarten Programs (2)
Head Start Transition Demonstration Program (1)
Child Care Referral Agency (1)
Figure 1. Types and Frequencies of Programs
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994
24
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
The predominant staff types in center-based pro-grams were teachers and aides, while home-basedprograms consisted largely of special educators andsocial service coordinators. Contract staff were pri-marily therapists (physical, occupational, andspeech), psychologists, and nurses, although manyprograms employed therapists in full or part-timepositions. Several of the programs indicated havingparents as volunteers or on staff at least part-time.
The programs reported are representative of atransition stakeholder group and, while diverse,they may not fully capture the types of transitionservices available to West Virginia children andfamilies. However, similar transition issues, such asthe difficulties of communications between service
providers, appeared in response to many items.These findings are reported in the following sec-tions.
Transition Activities, Services,or Practices
Section III, item #1 of the Program DescriptionForm asked respondents to check any from among14 transition activities, generated by study groupmembers, that were used by their program and todescribe others not listed. Of the 24 completedForms received, three did not include responses tothis item. Figure 2 records total frequencies ofactivities, services, or practices.
Child visitations to new settings (19);t1
Staff exchange visitations/observations (17)
liStaff reviews or mini-staffings of children (14)
(Written plans for transition, shared with staff -11, shared with parents-11 (14)
117-Tome visits (13)
Child contacts between settings (buddies) (8)
Child interviews (7)
Sharing photos of "new" and "old" settings (5)
Bringing something old into new setting (2)
Pen /picture pals sharing between settings (1)
I it, .47..44.-
Figure 2. Frequency of Transition Activities Used by Programs
West Virginia Education Asscciation & AEL November 1994 17
2
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
Eleven respondents suggested additional ac-tivities, services, or practices, including a "Move UpDay;" a Kindergarten Book completed by children toshare with the new setting's teacher; workshops forteachers and parents as orientation; an introductionto cafeteria meals and procedures; a picnic at thereceiving site; a parent meeting regarding transpor-tation and assistance with local board of educationmember; a visit to or from school buses; a circlediscussion with children about moving to a newsetting; monthly parent committee meetings; totalinclusion of all preschool-attending five-year-oldsinto the kindergarten class every Friday; and Transi-tion Substitutesaides who assist special needs chil-dren in kindergarten classes during the first 90 daysof the year. Written plans were less frequentlyindicated by preschool program respondents.
While this item provided data on one of the mostcritical elements of the studyassistance currentlypracticed to ease children and families through tran-sitionsthe extent and diversity of activities re-ported varied with the type of program. For ex-ample, written plans for transition are required of allHead Start, Head Start Transition Demonstration,and Early Intervention programs. All respondentsof these programs indicated they had such plans andshared them with parents and staff.
Professional Development onTransition Issues
Twenty-two program contact persons re-sponded to Section III, item #2, which requested adescription of professional development sessionsabout transitions that were provided for staff. Ofthese, several respondents discussed professionaldevelopment conducted by program directors forstaff, parents, and volunteers. Others describedworkshops or series of sessions presented for teach-ers receiving children from their programs, e.g.,Head Start or kindergarten teachers. All of theseresponses are grouped as program-provided staffdevelopment in Figure 3. All Early Intervention andHead Start program respondents reported partici-pating in local, regional, state, and / or nationalworkshops or conferences on transitions as part ofmandated training. Two respondents mentionedtheir work with the statewide Early Childhood Tran-sition Initiative. The staff and director of one pro-gram described participation in the multi-year De-partment of Labor training leading to Early Child-hood Apprenticeship certification.
Figure 3 describes the range of responses to thisitem. Multiple forms of professional developmentwere reported by some resisondents, accounting formore than 22 responses.
Program team or staff meetings at regular intervals (teacher, therapist, service coordinator, others) (8)
kParticipation in conferences (local, state, regional, and national) (6)
Program-provided staff development (quarterly, semi-annually, annually) (6)
Preschool Interagency Council training sessions (1)
IrStaff 7ng in Department of Labor Early Childhood Apprenticeship Program (1)
No staff development on transitions conducted or attended (4)
18
11111111116,
Figure 3. Frequency and Type ofProfessional Development Used by Programs
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994
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Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
Perhaps not surprisingly, professional develop-ment regarding early childhood transitions was mostoften reported by programs that are required by lawto have written policies and established proceduresfor receiving and sending children to and from otherprogramsEarly Intervention and Head Start pro-grams. The size of the program also appeared corre-lated to the provision of professional developmentlarger programs reported more professional devel-opment attended by staff and presented by staff forparents or teachers, aides, and social service coordi-nators receiving their children. Finally, several re-spondents described staffings or information ex-change sessions, about specific children as profes-sional development. While these probably benefitsending and receiving programs and parents re-garding specific children, they may or may not ex-tend staff learning or experience in approaches tosuccessful transitions.
Communications and GainingSupport
The 16 respondents to Section III, item #3 pro-vided descriptions of methods they use to gain edu-cator and family support for their programs, twoimportant participant groups in the success of tran-sition activities. Interpersonal communication train-ing such as workshops, conferences, inservice ses-sions, and interviews, they concluded, benefit allinvolved in the transition process. However,one-to-one communications were mentioned mostoften. These took forms such as word-of-mouthcommunication of services for families; one-to-onecontacts and visits between preschool, Head Start, orEarly Intervention personnel and receiving programteachers; and ongoing communications between ser-vice providers and school system directors of specialeducation, principals, or board of education mem-bers. Public communication forms were also benefi-cial to, and required of, some service providers. Toassist in identification of special needs children,Early Intervention programs and others utilized let-ters to all families in the service region, televisionand radio public service announcements, and news-paper articles. Referral by physicians, schools, and
social service agencies linked many providers withchildren and families in need of assistance.
But, as one Head Start director stated, "It iseasier to locate those needing service than it is toserve them. Part of the difficulty lies in convincingthe parent that the child needs special attention."Creating an "open house" environment assistedmany programs as they encouraged families withnewsletters, parent activities, parenting classes, fam-ily volunteers on field trips, family advisory groups,and parent or guardian manuals. Finally, part ofmaintaining support lies in the added assistancesome programs reported such as linking families toother social service agencies and providing childcare for the children of teachers who would receive
the program's children.Familiarity of families and educators with pro-
gram services and staff were described as essentialto maintaining the programs and increasing theeffectiveness of transitions between programs. Onekindergarten teacher added, "The transition processis made easier when staff, parents, and children aredirectly involved. Communication opportunitiesneed to occur throughout the year to ensure continu-ity hi the transition process."
Transition Readiness
Age was the most frequently cited factor inresponse to Section III, item #4 regarding timing oftransitions from one setting to the next with nineprograms reporting this factor from the total of 23responses. Head Start programs transition childrento kindergarten in the school year beginning afterthe child's fifth birthday. Early Intervention pro-gram contacts responded that children are evalu-ated for six months prior to their third birthdays andtransition to school or to Head Start programs (orother services) at that age are based upon the recom-mendations from a multidisciplinary team meeting.
Head Start guidelines for determining readi-ness for transition are described in the CreativeCurriculum guide used by at least one respondingprogram. Observations, evaluations, anecdotalrecords, kindergarten screenings, and teacher rec-
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994 19
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
ommendations are important to decisionmakingregarding transitions between preschools and kin-dergarten, several respondents added. Those in-volved in transition decisions include the Head Startand preschool teachers, Early Intervention special-ists, program directors, case managers, service coor-dinators, and other specialists familiar with the child.Most often the agency or school initiates the transi-tion process. Four programs mentioned that parentsdetermine when a child is ready for transition withdiscussion of options by a case manager.
Transfer of Records Upon TransitionItem #5 of Section III asked respondents, "Which
records are kept and which are transferred as thechild progresses?" Responses varied widely acrossprograms and within the three major types of serviceprovider programs respondingHead Start, EarlyInterveittion, and Preschools. Health records weremost frequently kept along with Individual Educa-tion Plans for special needs children. Results fromdevelopmental tests (Peabody, Child AssessmentSystem, Brigance, LAP, and others not specified),observation and anecdotal records, and Medicaidinformation were frequently mentioned as part of achild's permanent record.
Four Early Intervention programs transferred achild's records, two with permission of the parentsonly. Four Head Start programs transferred allrecords to schools where kindergartens would re-ceive the children, two with permission of parentsonly. Two Head Start programs transferred norecords and the Head Start Transition Demonstra-tion Program did not describe its transfer practice.The one kindergarten respondent and the preschool /kindergarten respondent indicated that the perma-nent record followed the child through school. Pre-schools varied the most across responses. Two indi-cated that no records transfer, two transferred recordswith parent approval, five reported the transfer of allrecords, and one did not describe their transfer prac-tice.
Consistency in collection of developmental pro-gress data across programs was not apparent norwas a clear understanding of issues of confidential-
20
ity of child records. While respondents within ser-vice provider categories most tightly regulated suchas Head Start and Early Intervention programs maynot have fully reported all records actually kept,some confusion seems to exist regarding the transferof such data. Further, while clear policies regardingdata collection and transfer of data may exist withinindividual preschool programs and the agenciesreceiving their children, much variance across pre-school programs was evident. The role of parentapproval in the release of data was apparent in manyresponses. Since transfer of data represents an ex-tension of con- ,unication strategies used by theprograms to benefit the child, many seem to beinitiating data transfer.
Program Evaluation"How do you know your program is effective?
Describe any evaluation conducted," asked item #6of Section III of the Program Description Form. Mostof he 19 responses to this item provided little detailon the methods of evaluation used. However, mul-tiple measures were reported by a few of the respon-dents. Feedback from parents when their childrenare in the program and following transition of theirchildren to new settings was critical to programevaluation for eleven programs, the most frequentlycited formal or informal evaluation method. Sixservice providers described annual or semiannualevaluations completed by parents and a seventhreported an annual interview with parents, whileothers described informal methods or did not specify.
Observing and measuring the progress of chil-dren was the method next most often reportedmethod (nine programs) for determining programeffectiveness. Few program respondents describedhow this information was collected, but an annualevaluation was named by one program and thefading of the need for Transition Substitutes wasmentioned by another. Feedback from the receiv-ing service provider or school following a child'stransition was named as an evaluation method byfour programs. Five programs also collected annualor more frequent evaluation data as directed by theirregulatory agencies (e.g., Head Start fiscal agents).One program surveyed staff annually regarding
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994
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Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
program effectiveness.A review of all forms of program evaluation
reported indicates that eight programs use someform of formal, usually written measure while oth-ers drew conclusions from student progressdata onchildren in and transitioned from program servicesand from verbal feedback from parents. One pro-gram indicated that their continued funding andreceipt of referrals measured their effectiveness. Fiveprograms indicated they were using no formal meansof evaluation and did not report informal measures.Further research may be needed to determine thetypes of information being collected and conclu-sions that might be drawn across programs aboutthe effectiveness of early childhood services as wellas transition activities.
AccomplishmentsTwenty-two responses were received to item #7
of Section III regarding the greatest accomplish-ments of the service provider's transition programor practices. Most frequently cited (seven programs)were activities that involved introducing children tonew settings. Activities described included trans-porting children to schools they would be attendingand meeting the teachers and staff. One Head Startprogram reported positive attitudes toward kinder-garten on the part of parents and children as itsgreatest accomplishment"Visits to the classroomhave lessened any anxiety on the part of parents andchildren."
Seven responses centered around accomplish-ments in early intervention programs / practices.These included helping families find needed childcare services and helping parents understand thespecial education process. Education was a criticalpractice and one from which many Early Interven-tion programs derive their greatest accomplishments.One E.I. respondent described her program's great-est accomplishment as providing "the family's em-powerment to make decisions that are best for themand their child."
One districtwide special education program'suse of the Transition Substitute, a substitute teachertrained to assist special needs children in the class-
room with the regular teacher during the first threemonths of transition to kindergarten, led to therespondent's description of the program's greatestaccomplishment as the "continuum of services" be-tween Early Intervention and Head Start or kinder-garten classes. Transition substitutes assist in meth-ods consistent with a child's Individual EducationProgram (IEP).
Four responses emphasized successful educa-tional practices. Two preschools focused on devel-oping children's social skills and cited developmentof a pre-readiness curriculum and early childhoodtraining for staff. One preschool reported worktoward greater cooperation in transitions with theschool system. One preschool's greatest accom-plishment was the successful evaluation of this pro-gram. One program recognized accomplishment inthe development of cooperative efforts between EarlyIntervention programs, local special education de-partments, boards of education, Head Start pro-grams, and kindergartens.
Finally, many respondents take great pride intheir work with children. As one preschool directordescribed it, "I feel the greatest accomplishment ofmy transition program is when my former studentsmake quick adjustments to the regular school sys-tem and continue their developmental progress."
ObstaclesWhen asked to identify their biggest obstacle
and any means they used to avoid or to solve it, item#8 of Section III, 22 respondents reported problemsassociated with three categories: interagency coop-eration, families, or time and stress.
"The biggest obstacle was getting the variousagencies and programs to see the importance ofsuccessful transitions" reported One Head Start pro-gram respondent reported. This response typifiedthe seven that noted interagency cooperation astheir most difficult obstacle. Cooperation was some-times lacking in terms of scheduling visits, sharinginformation/child files, handling funding adjust-ments, discussing development of individual chil-dren, and coordination of procedures for families.The problem of preparing children of any age for the
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994 21
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Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
several kindergarten programs they may enter in thefall is at best difficult when sharing of information,frequent discussions, and visits for staff and familiesare established. It increases with the infrequentcontacts that most programs reported having withreceiving agencies. Four of the six Head Start andtwo of the three Early Intervention programs in-cluded in the study cited this lack of interagencycooperation as an obstacle.
The process of working closely with familiesthat provides the rewards of early childhood educa-tion was often cited as problematic. Five respon-dents, preschools, Early Intervention programs, anda child care referral agency, described obstacles as-sociated with families including: failure to attendparent training; parent apathy; ignorance of agencyservices and policies; and difficulties in matchingfamily needs to provider schedules. To addressthese obstacles, programs adopted the followingpractices: providing parenting classes; reviewingpolicies and instructional materials with parents;helping parents find alternative services, and sched-uling parent teacher conferences. For example, whenparents fail to attend important meetings, one E.I.service coordinator uses home visits to explain tran-sition services in an "Understanding Special Educa-tion" booklet. Parent apathy was a continuing prob-lem reported by a few programs.
Finally, the lack of time was mentioned by sev-eral respondents as a problem to the delivery ofservices. Time to meet in small groups with chil-dren, to discuss student progress among teachers indifferent programs or levels, and to arrange visits bychildren to new programs was described as ob-stacles. The five responses in this category weremade by preschools, a kindergarten, and the HeadStart Transition Demonstration project respondent.Flexibility in scheduling on the part of staff andparents were reported solutions. Individual pro-grams reported problems with transportation, ad-ministrative procedures, child placement, and childand staff stress. Field testing of procedures beforeimplementation solved one of these problems for apreschool program. Finally, one of the widest reach-ing solutions was suggested by a preschool directorwho suggested, "Make a transition plan and stick toit. We meet monthly to discuss ours."
22
AMU
ResourcesFourteen of the 24 respondents replied when
asked, on item #9 of Section III of the ProgramDescription Form, to list any resources they hadfound helpful in developing transition services.Categories of human and print resources emerged asresponses were analyzed. While respondents iden-tified few print resources as especially helpful, theydescribed in greater detail the assistance they re-ceived from networking at the local, state, regional,and national levels with staff of sending and receiv-ing programs, theircounterparts in similar programs,and transitions trainers or technical assistance pro-viders. The following resources were listed:
Human ResourcesSchool district special education staffParent Resource CentersCommunity Skill Builders, Inc.School committees, variousWest Virginia AdvocatesNetworks of school personnelMidSouth Regional Resource Center, Human De-
velopment Institute, University of Kentucky-Peggy Stephens
Early intervention program staffHead Start staffState and local transition trainingHospital staffHead Start Transition Demonstration Project
directorsSchool psychologistsTeachers in receiving schoolsTeam efforts
Print Resources
Child and family filesProject Sequenced Transition to Education in the
Public Schools (STEPS) of KentuckyNational Head Start materials (2)AEL's "Preschool to School Linkages Conference"
materials (2)
The number of nonrespondents to this item andresponses from a few who described unsuccessfulsearches for resources on early childhood transitions
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Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
may indicate that few print resources exist or arewidely known.
RecommendationsResponse to item #10, Section III, which asked
respondents to provide recommendations to othersplanning an early childhood transitions program,yielded 23 suggestions. One commonality amongthese was the need for communication during allstages of transition and among all programs and thefamily. Leading from the need for more communi-cation was that of collaboration among care provid-ers, agencies, schools, and families. The media wasalso named as important to collaboration in helpingthe identification process and promoting clarifica-tion of program services. Finally, an assumptionapparent in many responses was the importance ofinvolving children and families in the transitionplan. This practice was viewed as increasing com-munication and ensuring the appropriateness oftransition activities for the individual child.
The advice from many programs was best cap-tured in responses to the request for recommenda-tions for others. Respondents' words speak stronglyfrom their years of experience in service to childrenand families. Their suggestions, as the reader willnote, are not contradictory but complement the de-velopment of a comprehensive process to ease tran-sitions for children and families. In their words,program contacts offer these suggestions:
Communications and Collaboration
Communicate early and often with all parties.Identify why transition is helpful to each.
Develop worldngrelationWps with staff in receivingprograms.
Develop a cooperative interagency team that meetson a regular basis.
Arrange for staff to visit programs with which theirprogram transitions children.
Be available to serve on committees, volunteer tohelp. Ask to attend training.
Establish staff exchanges between programs toobserve practices.
Sell the program to your staff first.
Work with health and social service agencies as wellas care providers throughout the community tofind the best placement for the child.
AdministrationFollow the federal guidelines. They are thorough.
Start with small steps, but always follow up.
Use a global release of information for all agenciesinvolved.
Develop a transition plan and stick to it.
Parents and Families
Hold spring and fall transition meetings or work-shops to orient parents.
Continue to provide consistent family support whenthe child leaves the program.
Help parents to feel confident and provide theminformation they can share with the child's nextteacher.
From the intake day begin informally planning afamily transition.
Work with families to empower them to see alloptions (public or private school, child care, HeadStart, etc.) and to make decisions that best fit theirneeds and the child's.
Children
Provide Transition Substitutes for the first nine weeksthat a special-needs child spends in kindergarten.
Visit the setting(s) the children will be entering, tourthe school and bus, meet the teachers, perhapseven pair children with kindergartners to inter-act.
Provide a chance to observe; don't just move in.
Include a trial period in transition plans for indi-vidual children.
Listen to the individual child and to the family.
Personal
Keep a positive attitude.
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994 23
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
SERVICE PROVIDER DIRECTORY
Twenty-three programs provided the followinginformation in response to Section I Demographicsand Contact Information and Section II Rationaleand Objectives for Transition Program on the EarlyChildhood Transitions Study Group's Program De-scription Form. The comprehensiveness of the pro-gram and its transition activities was a determiningfactor regarding inclusion in the above Findingssections and in this Directory. Recipients of the EarlyChildhood Transitions Program Identification Formand Program Description Form werea targeted groupof transition stakeholders identified by West Vir-ginia Department of Education to have interest andsome experience in transition activities for youngchildren and families. Study group members did notintend to survey every Head Start program, EarlyIntervention program, preschool, or kindergarten inthe state, but nominations of others by initial recipi-ents of the Program Identification Form were re-viewed for inclusion.
Program staff persons completed the ProgramDescription Forms used as the basis of the followingdescriptions. While selected program contact per-sons responded to followup telephone interviews toprovide clarification to responses, no additional in-formation beyond Form responses generally wassought. Inclusion in this document, therefore, doesnot verify the accuracy of this information nor indi-cate an endorsement of the program by WVEA, AEL,the West Virginia Department of Education, or theOffice of Educational Research and Information,U.S. Department of Education. For further informa-tion, please write or phone the program contactpersons listed. Directory information is arrangedalphabetically within program typesEarly Inter-vention programs, Head Start programs, Head StartTransition Demonstration project, kindergartens,
preschools and child care centers, and child carereferral programs.
Early Intervention Programs
Child Development ServicesRESA VIIIRegional Education Service Agency VIII615 W. King St.Martinsburg, WV 25401Contact person: JoAnn RichardsTelephone: 304 /267-3595
This is an Early Intervention program servingchildren with developmental delays from birththrough three years with developmental delays.The program has offered home-based servicesto families in eight counties for four years.Transition services for children and families arerequired of all Early Intervention programs tofacilitate a seamless continuum of assistance.RESA VIII Services emphasize cross-agency/school communications.
F.M.R.S. Early InterventionFayette, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers CountiesMental Health, Inc.101 S. Eisenhower DriveBeckley, WV 25801Contact person: Rhea EssaTelephone: 304/ 256-7100
Located in a mental health facility, this EarlyIntervention program serving 120 children withdevelopmental delays from birth through threeyears has served families for 17 years. Theprimary focus of the program's transitionactivities is provision of information toempower families to make appropriatedecisions for their children.
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Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
Summit Center Early Intervention ProgramSummit Center for Human Development6 Hospital PlazaClarksburg, WV 26301Contact person: Anne KroheTelephone: 304/623-5661, ext. 238
In operation for ten years, this Early Interventionprogram currently serves 200 children withdevelopmental delays from birth through agefour. Located in a mental health agency, theprogram has a five-county catchment area andaims to assist families in their decisionsregarding placement of their children.
Head Start Programs
Braxton County Head StartBraxton County Board of Education400 4th StreetSutton, WV 26601Contact person: Marna GreeneTelephone: 304/ 765-7101
This program is situated in an elementary schooland serves approximately 150 children, agesthree and four. It has been in operation fortwelve years and provides kindergartenreadiness.
Greenbrier Head StartGreenbrier County Board of Education202 Chestnut StreetLewisburg, WV 24901Contact person: Terri WontrobskiTelephone: 304/647-6470
Located in a public school, this program serves 122children, aged three, four, and five. In operationfor ten years, the program's transition servicesfocus on guaranteeing a continuum of servicesto children and parents and on reducing theanxiety level of children and parentstransitioning to a new program.
26
McDowell County Head StartThe Council of the Southern MountainsP.O. Box 158Wilcoe, WV 24895Contact person: Helen K. CarsonTelephone: 304/448-2131
This Head Start program is located in a communityaction agency and serves 449 children, agedthree, four, and five. It has been in operationfor 29 years. Major foci of the transition programare to familiarize children and families withschool settings, to adjust Head Start curriculumand procedures where necessary, and toeliminate or minimize barriers to thecontinuance of individual child developmentplans.
Monongalia Head StartMonongalia County Board of Education101 Wilson AvenueMorgantown, WV 26505Contact person: Marie AlsopTelephone: 304/291-9330
This Head Start program serves 133 children, agesthree and four, in an elementary school. Inoperation for 27 years, the program's main goalin the transition process is to increase programawareness by both the Head Start teachers andthe kindergarten teachers through staffvisitations.
Multi-County Head StartMulti-County Community Action AgainstPoverty, Inc.P.O.Box 3228Charleston, WV 25332Contact person: Sue DurbinTelephone: 304/342-1388
Operated by a community action agency in agencyand school settings for 712 children, aged threeand four in four counties, this Head Startprogram has been in existence for 29 years. Amajor focus of their transition activities is toeducate school district personnel about thedevelopmental and educational quality ofprogram services and to increase collaboration.
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Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
North Central West Virginia Head StartNorth Central West Virginia Community ActionAssociationRoute 1, Box 1028Kingwood, WV 26537Contact person: Tammy Bo lyardTelephone: 304/329-2625
A center-based program serving 110 families withchildren aged three, four, and five, this HeadStart program has operated for 25 years. Aparticular focus is assistance to families inpreparing their children for school, includingunderstanding the Individualized EducationPlans of special needs children.
Head Start Transition DemonstrationProject
Transition Demonstration ProjectSouthwestern Community Action Council540 5th AvenueHuntington, WV 25701Contact person: B. Lynn BolenTelephone: 304/ 525-5151
Federally funded since fall 1991 as one of 32 HeadStart Transition Demonstration Projects in thenation, this project provides services to 619 five-and six-year-olds in two counties. The majorpurpose of the project is to evaluate theeffectiveness of the provision of health andsocial services and education support servicesas Head Start children and families transitionto kindergarten and first grade.
Kindergartens
(While the study group did not widely surveykindergarten programs, one included in the transi-tion stakeholder group and one study group re-sponded to the Program Description Form. Theirtransition activities may or may not be representa-tive of all West Virginia kindergarten classes).
Boone County Kindergarten AcademyBoone County SchoolsP.O. Box 730Uneeda, WV 25205Contact person: Diana StartzelTelephone: 304/ 369-0558
A preschool and kindergarten program operatedby the school district, the Academy is housedin its own building. It serves 119 children agedfour through six (tuition preschool and publickindergarten) and has operated for four years.A major feature of the transition program isstaff exchange visitations and observations andjoint preschool-kindergarten student activities.
Kingwood Elementary School KindergartenPreston County Schools207 S. Price StreetKingwood, WV 26537Contact person: Mildred LindleyTelephone: 304 / 329-1034
A public school kindergarten, this program serves86 children aged five and six. A major featureof the transition program is involvement ofkindergarten staff with Head Start staff.
Approximately 120 children aged twelve monthsthrough five years are served in this child careprogram in operation for the past 14 years.Program objectives include easing transitionsfor families as children move from home tocenter, room to room within the center, andfrom child care into kindergarten.
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994 27
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Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
Early Learning Child Development CenterRiver Valley Child Development Services(RVCDS)1448 Tenth AvenueHuntington, WV 25701Contact person: Suzi BrodofTelephone: 304/523-3917
This program is a private, nonprofit center servingchildren aged twelve months through six yearswith child care and after-school programs forelementary school students. The Center hasserved families in a six-county area for 22 yearsand enrolls 75 children. RVCDS also operates achild care program in Hamlin, WV.
Friends-R-Fun Child Development Center, Inc.Highway 41 N., Box 2128Summersville, WV 26651Contact person: Judy OlsonTelephone: 304/872-2157
Infants aged six weeks through twelve-year-olds(approximately 99 total) are enrolled in thisprivate child care center in operation for eightyears. The program aims to offer safe childcare and kindergarten readiness for a rural areaunderserved by child care facilities.
First Presbyterian Church Preschool16 Broad StreetCharleston, WV 25301Contact person: Jackie TaylorTelephone: 304 / 343-8961
This church-based program serves 166 children agedone through five and has been in operation formore than forty years. The focus of transitionactivities is discussion with the children withemphasis on transition as a major part ofgrowing up and learning new skills.
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Kanawha County Preschool Special EducationProgramKanawha County Schools200 Elizabeth StreetCharleston, WV 25311Contact person: Debbie BrownTelephone: 304 / 348-7740
This preschool special education program serves150 three to five-year-old children with specialneeds in a variety of settings imiuding privatepreschools, Head Start programs,. homes, andelementary schools. Some of the programs areinclusion in which disabled and nondisabledchildren are peers in learning experiences. Amajor transition activity is the provision of aTransition Substitute to assist the special needschild and regular education teacher in theclassroom during the first few months ofkindergarten.
Marion County Preschool ProgramMarion County Schools200 Gaston AvenueFairmont, WV 26554Contact person: Linda BondTelephone: 304/367-2137
This is a preschool special education program in apublic school setting that serves 33 three tofive-year-old children with developmentaldelays. The eight-year-old program's objectiveis to provide smooth transitions for childrenand families from Early Intervention servicesinto preschool and kindergarten.
The Nicholas Preschool ProgramSeneca Mental Health/Mental RetardationCouncil, Inc.106 McKees Creek RoadSummersville, WV 26651Contact person: Sharon SpencerTelephone: 304/872-2090
Located in a social service agency, this preschoolserves 33 two- through five-year-old childrenwith and without developmental delays. Theprogram began in 1993 and is in the process offormulating a transition plan.
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Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
Preston Child Development ProgramWest Virginia Department of EducationHC 82, Box 25Terra Alta, WV 26764Contact person: Joyce KisamoreTelephone: 304/789-2297
This is one of three preschool programs fundeddirectly by the West Virginia Department ofEducation, Office of Special Education, to servechildren aged two through five (primarily withspecial needs) who reside in very rural areas.This program, in operation for 20 years, serveschildren in rural sections of Preston County.Two similar programs are the Wheeling ChildDevelopment Program (Sandy Smith, 304/242-1628) and the Glenville Child DevelopmentProgram (Tony Russell, 304/354 - 6408). Thedirectors have jointly developed a ChildAssessment System and all focus ondevelopmentally appropriate assistance andreadiness for kindergarten.
West Virginia University Child DevelopmentLaboratoryWest Virginia University702 Allen HallP.O. Box 6124Morgantown, WV 26506-6124Contact person: Dr. Bobbie Gibson WarashTelephone: 304/293-2110
A preschool laboratory school based in the Divisionof Family Resources, College of Agriculture andForestry of the University, this private-payprogram serves 43 children aged three throughfive. For 45 years the Laboratory has rrovidedpracticum experience for students of childdevelopmz.-nt. A major feature of the transitionservice offered is taking children to visit theschools they will be attending.
411111111111
YWCA Child Enrichment CenterYoung Women's Christian Association ofCharleston201 Donnally StreetCharleston, WV 25301Contact person: Colleen WalshTelephone: 304/ 340-3561
A combination preschool, day-care, and after-schoolprogram, this urban center serves 146 children(aged three months through 12 years) both withand without developmental delays. The Centerhas been in operation for 18 years. A
cornerstone of the transition process is ongoingdialogue with the local Early Interventionprograms and schools to meet needs of children,families, and the community.
Child Care Referral Agency
Link Child Care Resource and ReferralRiver Valley Child Development Services916 Fifth Avenue, Suite 208Huntington, WV 25701Contact person: Cathy Jones ForsytheTelephone: 304/523-9540 or 800/894-9540
This service to families seeking child care in Cabell,Wayne, Lincoln, and Mason counties hasoperated for one year. In addition to referringparents of children aged birth through 13 or 18(special needs children) to child-care providers,staff link providers with information, funding,and training.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Administration for Children, Youth, and Families.(1993, October, draft report). The head start-publicschool transition demonstration: What arewe learning?Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health andHuman Services.
Administration for Children, Youth, and Families.(n.d.). Easing the transition from preschool tokindergarten: A guide for early childhood teachers andadministrators (Pamphlet). Washington, DC: U.S.Department of Health and Human Services.
Boyer, E. L. (1991). Ready to learn: A mandate for thenation. Princeton, NJ: The Carnegie Foundationfor the Advancement of Teaching.
Bredekamp, S. (Ed.). (1987). Developmentallyappropriate practice in early childhood programsserving children from birth through age 8 (expandededition). Washington, DC: National Associationfor the Education of Young Children.
Byrd, R., Rous, B., Stephens, D. Dyk, L, & Perry, E.(1990). Sequenced transition to education in thepublic schools: Project STEPS replication manual.Lexington, KY: Child Development Centers ofthe Bluegrass, Inc.
Copple, C., Deich, S., Lorelei, B., & Hofferth, S.(1993). Learning readiness: Promising strategies.Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Health andHuman Services.
Demarest, E. J., Reisner, E. R., Anderson, L. M.,Humphrey, D. C., & Farquhar, E. (1993,September, working paper). Review of research onachieving the nation's readiness goal: "By the year2000, all children will start school ready to learn".Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Education,Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
Governor's Cabinet on Children and Families. (1993,March). Family matters: Annual report to thelegislature. Charleston, WV: Author.
Heaviside, S., Farris, E., & Carpenter, J. (1993). Publicschool kindergarten teachers' views on children's readi-ness for school (Statistical Analysis Report).Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education,National Center for Education Statistics.
Holmes, C. T. & Mathews, K. M. (1989). The effectsof nonpromotion on elementary and junior highschool pupils: A meta-analysis. Review of Ed-ucational Research. 54.
Improving America's Schools Act of 1993, S. 1513,103rd Congress, 2nd Session.
Kagan, S. L. (1992). The strategic importance oflinkages and the transition between early child-hood programs and early elementary school. InSticking Together: Strengthening Linkages and theTransition Between Early Childhood Education andEarly Elementary School (Summary of a NationalPolicy Forum). Washington, DC: U.S. Departmentof Education, Office of Educational Research andImprovement.
Love, J. M., Logue, M. E., Trud eau, J. V., & Thayer, K.(1992). Transitions to kindergarten in Americanschools. Portsmouth, NH: RMC ResearchCorporation.
Perroncel, C. B. (1990). Child care and early educationin Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia(Occasional Paper No. 31). Charleston, WV:Appalachia Educational Laboratory.
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994 31
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Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
Regional Educational Laboratories Early ChildhoodCollaboration Network. (1995, work in progress).Continuity in early childhood: A Framework of home,school, and community linkages. Washington, DC:Author.
Smith, M. L. & Shepard, L. A. (1989). Flunkinggrades: A recapitulation. In L. A. Shepard & M.L. Smith (Eds.), Flunking grades: Research andpolicies on retention (pp. 214-236). New York:Falmer Press.
SouthEastern Regional Vision for Education. (1994).Leadership for collaboration: A training program (ASERVEing Young Children Project). Greensboro,NC: Author.
Southern Regional Education Board. (1994). Gettingschools ready for children: The other side of the readinessgoal. Atlanta, GA: Author.
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Southern Regional Education Board. (1992). Readinessfor school: The early childhood challenge. Atlanta,GA: Author.
Stephens, P. (1993). Early childhood transitions forchildren with disabilities and their families. Lexington,KY: University of Kentucky, Mid-South RegionalResource Center, Human Development Institute.
Sugarman, J. M. (1991). Building early childhoodsystems: A resource handbook. Washington, DC:Child Welfare League of America, Inc.
West Virginia Department of Human Services. (1982).State of West Virginia licensing requirements for daycare centers. Charleston, WV: Author.
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994
Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change
APPENDICES
West Virginia Education Association & AEL November 1994 33
n
Appendix A
WVEA-AEL EARLY CHILDHOOD TRANSITIONSSTUDY GROUP PROGRAM IDENTIFICATION FORM
The West Virginia Education Association and the Appalachia Educational Laboratory arecosponsoring a study group of preschool, Head Start, kindergarten, and transition programteachers, administrators, and parents. Study group members are seeking programs thatprovide smooth transitions for young children and their families as they move frompreschool to school settings. The Early Childhood Transitions Study Group plans to publish aguide in early fall 1994 that will provide:
o descriptions of West Virginia early childhood transitionprograms and practices,
o recommendations for establishing and maintainingcommunications between elementary schools andpreschool providers,
o contact information for West Virginia providers oftechnical assistance to those interested in organizingeffective transition programs, and
o a bibliography of resources.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Study group members need information on programs organized by schools, Head Start programs,day care centers, or others that specifically address transitions between preschool and school.These programs would be characterized as offering stability to children and families whiledeveloping connections among service settings when change is necessary. Please take a fewmoments to note below the program titles or descriptions and contact information for anyeffective transition program with which you are familiar. Contact persons of programs listed
will be asked to complete a Program Description Form and may receive a follow-up telephoneinterview prior to selection for inclusion in the guide. Fold, staple, and mail to Jane Hange at AEL,P.O. Box 1348, Charleston, WV 25325. Programs included will receive a copy of the guide and
contributors will be cited. Thank you!
Your NameYour Title and Address
Program Title/Description
(Continue on back of this sheet)
410
Program Director/Contact PersonAddress and/or Telephone
Program Strengths/Reasons for Recommendation
Your Name
Jane Flange, DirectorClassroom Instruction ProgramAppalachia Educational Laboratory
P.O. Box 1348Charleston, WV 25325
Your Title and Address
Program Title/Description
Program Director/Contact PersonAddress and/or Telephone
Program Strengths/Reasons for Recommendation
41
Appendix BWVEA -AEL EARLY CHILDHOOD TRANSITIONS
STUDYGROUP PROGRAM DESCRIPTION FORM
The West Virginia Education Association and the Appalachia Educational Laboratory are co-sponsoring a study group of educators, administrators, and parents who plan to develop a guide toprograms and practices designed to aid children and families in transitions between preschool andschool settings. Your program has been identified as providing services that maintainstability for children and families while developing connections among settings when changeis necessary (transitions between care, medical, recreations services during the preschoolyears and/or transition to kindergarten). Responding to the following questions should takeapproximately fifteen minutes. Please attach any information that will help us understandyour transition services and mail the completed form by April 18 to Jane Hange, AEL, P.O.Box 1348, Charleston, WV 25325.
Programs selected for inclusion may be asked to complete a followup phone interview and willreceive a copy of the guide. Thank you for responding. If you have questions or know of otherswho should be included, please contact Jane Hange, Director, Classroom Instruction Program,AEL, 800/624-9120.
I. DEMOGRAPHICS AND CONTACT INFORMATION
Name of ProgramSchool/Agency NameAddressSchool District (if applicable)Contact PersonPerson Completing this FormProgram Phone NumberHome Phone of Contact Person (optional)Best Day and Time to Call
Program Type or Service Description
Program EnrollmentYears in OperationAges ServedProgram Type Check one or add
Church-AffiliatedPrivateHome-Based
other.Public School-BasedSocial Service Agency-BasedOther, please describe.
Community Served Check one.Rural Suburban Urban
Staff NumberNumber of Children to Number of Staff RatioRoles of Adults Involved in the Programs (e.g. teacher, aide, coordinator, case manager,etc.)
4 Z
II. RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES FOR TRANSITION PROGRAM .
Why did your program begin transition services? What are the objectives or goals of your services?
III. PROGRAM ACTIVITIES, SERVICES, OR PRACTICES1. Which of the following transition services, if any, does your program include?
Check any used and provide further description or list others.
sharing records or portfolios
child visitations to new settings
parent activities
staff exchange visitations/observations
home visits
staff reviews or mini-staffings
parent interviews
child interviews
newsletters
sharing photos of "new" and "old" settings
child contacts between settings (pals, buddies)
bringing something old along into the new setting
pen/picture pals sharing between settings
written plan for transition, shared with staffshared with parents
other for children, families, or staff, please describe
2. Describe any professional development on transition services provided to staff(content, processes, staff participating, number of sessions, followup activities, etc.).
3. What methods are used to gain educator support for the program? How is theprogram communicated to the public and family support gained?
4. How do you determine when a child is ready for a new setting and what setting might bemost appropriate? Who makes this decision? Who initiates the transition process?
5. What records on children are kept and which are transferred as the child progresses?
I6. How do you know your program is effective? Describe any evaluation conducted.
7. What has been the greatest accomplishment of your transition program or practices?
8. What was the biggest obstacle to transition program success you had to overcome?How did you avoid or solve it?
9. Please list any resources you found helpful in developing transition services.
I10. Please list any recommendations you would make to others planning an early
childhood transitions program.
11. Other comments or suggestions.
IThank you for describing your transition activities. Please mail the form and any attachmentsby March 31 to Jane Hange, Director, Classroom Instruction Program, AEL, P.O. Box 1348,Charleston, WV 25325. Programs selected for inclusion in the guide will receive a copy and allcontributors will be acknowledged.
41
Appendix C
Early Childhood TransitionsWest Virginia Study Group 1993-94
REFLECTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
AEL staff request your assistance in improving services for future study groups by
assessing your experience in working in the "Early Childhood Transitions" study group. Please
reflect on your reading and experience with early childhood transitions as you respond to the
request for recommendations. Your responses will be added to date from the Program
Description Forms for the Recommendations section. All responses will be aggregated for
analysis and reporting and no identification will be assigned to any statement.
Take a few moments to circle the appropriate ratings on the first sheet and to respond in
writing to the questions on the second sheet. Please return this form in the envelope provided.
PART A Name:
Evaluation of development of personal knowledge
I. The topic of early childhood transitions
was worth exploring.2. My knowledge and understanding of the
topic have increased.3. The information provided was interesting
and worthwhile.4. The quantity of information provided was
adequate.5. The information learned in the project is
useful to me professionally.
Evaluation as a professional development experience
1. My group interaction skills improved
2. My research skills (survey development,
data analysis, synthesis) improved.
3. My writing skills improved.4. My peer editing skills improved.
5. The study group experience has affected
my job performance positively.
4
Agree Disagree
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
Evaluation of study group activities
Agree
1. The goals were clearly defined. 5 4
2. The goals were met. 5 4
3. The meetings were rewarding. 5 4
4. The development of the publicationwas a worthwhile task.
5 4
5. The tasks undertaken individually betweenmeetings were useful.
5 4
Evaluation of AEL's role in study group facilitation and assistance
1. The AEL facilitator enab!ed the group to 5 4
define and pursue its direction.2. The facilitator provided adequate 5 4
communication throughout the process.3. The facilitator provided adequate technical 5 4
assistance.4. The facilitator scheduled an appropriate 5 4
number of meetings.5. The facilitator encouraged involvement 5 4
and collaboration.
Evaluation of my role in the study group
1. I felt committed to exploring the issue of 5 4
early childhood transitions.2. I thought about the issue and discussed 5 4
it with others between meetings.3. I carefully read the articles and materials 5 4
provided between meetings.4. I completed all assigned tasks to the best 5 4
of my ability.5. I approached the study group experience as 5 4
an opportunity, not an inconvenience.
Other comments:
Disagree
3 2 1
3 2 1
3 2 1
3 2 I
3 2 1
3 2 1
3 2 1
3 2 1
3 2 1
3 2 1
3 2 1
3 2 1
3 2 1
3 2 1
3 2 I
WEST VIRGINIA STUDY GROUP REFLECTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
PART B Name:
1. How, if at all, has your attitude toward transitions for young children and families
changed during your involvement with the study group?
2. What would be your recommendations tothose wishing to implement activities orprocedures that would ease transitions for young children and families?
3. What recommendations would you make to state-level po.icymalcers (legislature, state
department of education, school boards, education associations) regarding assistance for
early childhood transitions?
4. Through your reading, development and analysis of survey data, writing and editing, and
other study group experience, what have you learned about conducting research?
5. In what ways, if any, have you found participation in the study group to be professionally
rewarding? What strengths and weaknesses would you identify about the group's work?
6. How do you plan to use what you have learned from the study group experience?
7. How could AEL's and WVEA's assistance to the study group be improved?
8. Dissemination of the products of every study group is important to AEL and WVEA.
Please suggest ways in which you can share your group's product or the knowledge
gained from study group experience with others. How might AEL or WVEA assist you
in doing this?
9. What activities do you think AEL or WVEA should pursue as a followup to the
document with regard to disseminating information, maintaining an information file(s),
or providing technical assistance to those interested in early childhood transitions?
Thank you for completing and returning this form and improving AEL and WVEA
assistance to future study groups.
Appendix D
Continuity in Early Childhood:
A Framework ofHome, School, and Community Linkages
The following essential elements of effective transition services are adapted with
permission from Continuity is Early Childhood: A Framework of Home. School. and
Community Linkages (1995), originally released by the Regional Educational Laboratories Early
Childhood Collaboration Network in fall 1993 as Continuity in Early Childhood: Elements and
Indicators of Home, School, and Community Linkages. This document defines a framework for
linking services for young children and their families. The concept of a continuum of services is
central. When service providers link together to provide continuity, they establish smooth
transitions. Continuity allows children and their families to build on the positive, supportive
aspects of their experience as they make transitions. In other words, transitions become part of
the ongoing experience offamilies, as opposed to being an interruption or an abrupt change that
results in difficult adjustments.
111 The framework consists of eight essential elements described with exemplary practices
below. The framework can be ased to :
o Become better informed about the various factors to consider when designing and linking
early childhood and early learning services.
o Engage in self-study and assess community needs; in particular, to identify gaps in
services or potential linkages between care/education programs or services.
o Guide the planning or development of specific policies, programs, and practices that
promote continuity for young children and their families.
o Assess progress as communities seek to implement a service continuum for young
children and their families.
Eight Elements and Exemplary Practices
11. Family, school, and community partners sharing leadership and responsibility for
decision making.
1Exemplary practices include: continual focus on children and families, a leadership team that is
representative of all partner, collaboration and consensus characterize the leadership team,
written policies support leadership decision making, and roles are clearly defined and training
Iprovided.
2. A continuum of family-focused, comprehensive, integrated services.
Exemplary practices include: formal agreements exist regarding comprehensive and integratedapproaches to meeting family needs; all children have access to appropriate levels ofcomprehensive and integrated services; families are partners in planning and selecting services;
a system exists to inform educators of services of families and ways to assist; and a "single pointof entry" system exists to connect families to services.
3. Policies, programs, and practices that demonstrate the education, involvement,and empowerment of families.
Exemplary practices include: information sharing is two-way between schools and familiesregarding their child's progress and service opportunities; families are viewed as partners andhave opportunities for training and support services; families are involved in planning andimplementing activities and participate extensively; and policies, programs, and practices
indicate a valuing of families.
4. Policies, programs, and practices which demonstrate a sensitivity to the cultureand language of children and their families.
Exemplary practices include: written policies support the use of a child's home culture andlanguage; instruction is primarily in the home language with English introduced;communications are conducted in the family's language and occurs in comfortable contexts forthem; home culture and language are visible in the school; culturally appropriate interactionsand learning styles are integrated; and professional development for educators routinelyaddresses issues of culture and language.
5. Communication among all adults who are responsible for the children's care and
education.
Exemplary practices include: staff and families use a variety of means for ongoing communi-cation; staff within service setting meet regularly to maintain ongoing communication; all adultsresponsible for care/education of children routinely visit one .another's settings, philosophies, and
scopes of service; a system ensures ongoing documentation of child and family needs and allrelevant records are transferred with the child; children have many opportunities to meet new
staff and visit new programs/settings prior to changes; and families and staff work together toplan and implement visits and activities to support children.
1
6. A coordinated approach to staff development across agencies to enhanceimplementation of home, school, and community linkages.
Exemplary practices include: coordinated policies exist across agencies that support ongoing
staff development across age levels and among home, school, and community partners; jointplanning guides the process; joint staff development is ongoing across age levels and agencies;
sessions allow for active participation in a variety of learning experiences with followup supportconsistently provided; training activities build on one anotherand are designed to enhance the
partners' capability to aid continuity; and systemic assessment is jointly planned, implemented,
analyzed, and results shared with all partners, decision makers, and the community.
7. A developmentally appropriate and culturally sensitive curriculum, instruction,
and assessment.
Exemplary practices include: children explore a learning environment rich with manipulative
materials and are actively engaged in problem solving and learning; children usually work in
individually or in groups; the learning environment is organized into activity areas with
appropriate materials that do not interfere with each other; children participate in whole and
small group activities and have approximately 1/2 the day to pursue active exploration of self-
selected materials and pursuits; adult-directed activities are thematic allowing integrated
learning and skill application; teachers use primarily authentic assessment and children and
parents assist in documenting student progress; assessment outcomes are used to plan curriculum
and instruction; policies discourage retention or special placement of primary grade children and
ensure progress in heterogeneous group with personalized attention; and developmentallyappropriate curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices are consistently addressed by staff
who have regular opportunities to study and apply research and practice findings.
8. Documentation and reporting of outcomes which are used to refine and/or expand
linkages (p. 6).
Exemplary practices include: a formal reporting procedure is used to regularly sharedocumentation of progress with home, school, and community partners who participate in
documentation; home, school, and community partners regularly conduct self-assessments and
data analyses and revise work accordingly; associated organizations have policies that support
joint evaluation activities; evaluation reports are regularly disseminated to decision makers and
the community with followup meetings conducted to gather feedback on service continuity; and
staff development is provided to all partners to ensure common understanding of evaluation
activities.
Appalachia Educational LaboratoryProduct Quality Evaluation Form
"Early Childhood Transitions: Preparing Children and Families for Change"
A. Background
1. Name:
2. School/District:
3. Position:
4. State:
B. Rating
This form asks you to evaluate this product on a series of product quality scales. Pleasemark your response to each item with an "X" at any point along the scale. If you cannotreply to any scale, please check the "Cannot Reply" option for that item.
1. How clearly presented was the information in this material? Cannot Reply
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2. How credible was the information in this material?
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3. How useful was the information in this material?
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4. How easy was it for you to get this material?
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50
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50
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5. Which sections of the report have you found helpful? Please explain briefly howthese
sections helped you.
6. Have you shared your copy with other educators?If so, how many?
yes no
7. In what ways have you used this product? (Check any that apply.)
Personal professional developmentUsed in teachingQuoted in a reportOthers, please describe
8. How did you learn of the availability of this report?
9. Other suggestions or comments regarding this product:
Used in a meeting/presentationQuoted in a newsletter/publication(Title: )
Used to develop/revise programor curriculum
Thank you for completing this evaluation/contribution form.Please fold, staple, stamp, and mail to AEL.
AELP. 0. Box 1348Charleston, WV 25325
5 LI
AffixPostage
Here
U.S. DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESOffice of Human Development ServicesAdministration for Children, Youth and FamiliesHead Start Etuo
Easing theTransition fromPreschool toKindergarten
A Guide forEarly ChildhoodTeachers and Administrators
1
w'
Easing theTransition fromPreschool toKindergarten
A Guide forEarly ChildhoodTeachers and Administrators
If you have ever made a move from onelocation to another or separated fromfriends, you know how hard a transitioncan be. Going from a known, comfortableenvironment to one that is different andunfamiliar can be very stressful. This isoften how young children feel as theymove from preschool to kindergarten.' Thepurpose of this booklet is to help educatorsease this transition.