Helpful Tips and Resources for Kindergarten Transition
Kindergarten resources and tips for Families
It’s soon time for kindergarten and you’ll want to prepare your child for this big step! Here are several kindergarten-related topics that will help you and your child prepare and be ready.
Help with the transition to kindergarten
The National Association for the Education of Young Children offers tips on transitioning children to kindergarten that will help children and parents:
- Transitioning to Kindergarten
- Is My Child Ready for Kindergarten?
- Personal Stories to Help Children Get Ready for School
- 11 Ways to Help Children Say Goodbye
Kindergarten Readiness Checklist
Ohio Early Learning Development Standards
Helping Your Child Make Transitions: Home to School
PBS Kindergarten Readiness Series
Children with Special Needs? Transition starts NOW
If your child learns differently from his or her peers, or has identified or suspected special needs, you can help your child experience a successful transition to kindergarten.
Parents of three, and four-year-old children with physical or social-emotional needs can contact their school districts now instead of waiting for the springtime registration period. When you establish a relationship with the school, you lay the groundwork for your child’s success.
“Every child has a right to an education. That education process begins at age 3 for children with special needs “says Abbie Klein, retired UPK Regional Resource Coordinator at Starting Point,. “Parents need to know that they have the right to get their public school district involved when a child is three years old. They can have those important conversations before a child with special needs turns five. “We encourage parents to know their child’s rights under special education law. For tips and resources on helping a child with special needs transition into kindergarten, please follow these links:
- Paving the Way to Kindergarten for Young Children with Disabilities, from Reading Rockets
- Resources from the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities
- Making Peace in Kindergarten: Social and Emotional Growth for All Learners (Voices)
Resources for Diverse Learners: Preschool and Kindergarten
Students with specific needs, or Who learn differently from many of their peers, might require extra resources to make their school experience successful. Through the organizations below, parents can find resources for children with disabilities, learning difficulties, or exceptional needs.- Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities The Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities (OCECD) is a statewide nonprofit organization that serves families of infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities in Ohio, and agencies who provide services to them. OCECD’s program helps parents become informed and effective representatives for their children and all educational settings. In addition, youth are assisted to advocate for themselves. Through knowledge about laws, resources, rights and responsibilities, families are better able to work with agencies to ensure that appropriate services are received for the benefit of their sons and daughters.
- The National Center for Learning Disabilities From their website: the National Center for Learning Disabilities improves the lives of all people with learning difficulties and disabilities by empowering parents, enabling young adults, transforming schools, and creating policy and advocacy impact.
- The Division for Early Childhood From their website: The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) is one of 17 divisions of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionality’s, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted. DEC is especially for individuals who work with or on behalf of children with special needs, birth through age 8, and their families.
Resources for preschool and kindergarten students’ social emotional wellness
- The Center on Social and Emotional Foundations for Early learning offers techniques, like helping a child calm down and prevent conflict by pretending to be Tucker Turtle, in their Parent Training Modules. The Center offers other resources and information to help improve the special and emotional outcomes of young children.
- Find Tucker Turtle and other tips in their family workbook and explore their website for complete resources.
Ohio’s school report card system
Ohio is making it easier to understand the strength of each school and district by communicating results in a familiar way: on report cards.
The Ohio Department of Education offers an explanation of the report card system and a tool to search your districts report card here.
District List
Missing preschool or kindergarten classes: it’s a big deal
“It’s just preschool” or “It’s just kindergarten”- right? Being absent a day here or there, or a few days in a row, isn’t a big deal- right?
Research shows that the answer is: Wrong! It’s a very big deal!
Children who miss days early in their academic career fall behind other students and set up a pattern for absenteeism later. The March into Kindergarten team has the goal that children in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, will be registered, ready, and in class every day of kindergarten.
A report on preschool attendance out of Chicago shows just how important consistently showing up for school is, for the youngest students.
For more information on attendance, including information for parents, schools, afterschool providers, health care providers, and policy makers, visit: Attendance Works: Advancing Student Success by Reducing Chronic Absence
Reading with Your Child
One on one reading time helps a child with literacy skills and much more. It can help connect to caregivers, feel safe, inspire curiosity, and help him or her think through problems or circumstances. Having age-appropriate books in the home is essential to a child’s development but having enough age-appropriate books readily available can be a challenge. You can spend time at your local library and/or visit online at Cuyahoga County Public Library or Cleveland Public Library. Here are some additional resources for accessing books for your child:
Kindergarten Book List
Here is a list of some of our favorite Kindergarten Readiness books at Starting Point
Imagination Library
Free books for all Ohio children until age 5: enroll today!
KINDERGARTEN CLUBS and Young Scholars Academy:
Join Kindergarten Clubs– If your child is 4 or 5 and hasn’t attended preschool or a childcare program, the Cuyahoga County public library (CCPL) and the Cleveland Public Library will help you and your child get ready for kindergarten. You can find more information about Kindergarten Clubs and CPL’s Young Scholars Academy here:
What is UPK?