Transition to Kindergarten

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, there is significant variation in kindergarten programs and the entry assessment systems used in school districts. There are no reliable data on the kindergarten entry assessment (KEA) systems used in public kindergarten programs across the Commonwealth. It is well-established that comprehensive KEAs should be part of a broader preschool through third grade (P-3) continuum of early childhood education to assess whole-child skills, include families and community partners, be culturally and linguistically responsive, and developmentally appropriate. This study aimed to understand the KEA practices of kindergarten teachers in Pennsylvania. An online survey was distributed to kindergarten teachers and elementary administrators in K5 classrooms in Pennsylvania public schools. The study evaluated the best practice strategies used including the skill domains assessed, the types of assessment instruments used, the purposes of KEA, and the professional development opportunities for teachers to implement the KEA system implemented by school districts. Responses were analyzed using an independent sample t-test to identify differences between groups for ratings of professional development types. There were significant differences between teachers and administrators on professional development teachers received for administering and conducting analyses for KEAs. Further research is needed to identify a larger sample of participants to inform policies and practices for teacher preparation, professional development, and the development of KEA systems in Pennsylvania. The data may also inform best practices for implementation, instructional content and strategies, and early childhood education curricula across the Commonwealth.

The study aimed to determine the status on the implementation of Kindergarten Program. The areas of concern included the following:  the status of the kindergarten program in terms of enrollment for the last three (3) years, participation rate, teachers’ qualifications, instructional materials, budgetary allocation and advocacy formation; the perceptions of the stakeholders in the implementation of the kindergarten program; challenges encountered by the teachers and parents and measures to be taken to improve the implementation of the kindergarten program. The study employed descriptive and numerical data on the perceptions of the teachers and parents served as research design. The instrument used to elicit information from the respondents was a structured questionnaire which validity and reliability were obtained through a percentage and weighted mean. 
The key findings of this study revealed that Inopacan Central School has the highest enrolment considering that it is strategic, accessible and has the needed equipment and facilities. Majority of the teachers have an educational attainment with Master’s Degree Units only. Instructional materials used included visual, printed, audio and audiovisual.  It was found out that majority of the teachers used printed materials. These are vital tool in teaching. Budget allocations were determined by the enrolment of the school. The activities obtained shown a very good showing on the advocacy activities of the school which extend beyond the reach up to the community in promoting the welfare of the pupils and building closer relationship with the community. Both teachers and parents perceived the program strongly agree. Proposed measures were envisioned in the enhancement of the implementation of Kindergarten Program in Inopacan District.
From the findings, a conclusion was drawn that both teachers and parents highly perceived the importance of the implementation of the Kindergarten Program in Inopacan District. The implementation of the Kindergarten Program was affected by the following factors: the status of the kindergarten program in terms of enrollment for the last three (3) years, participation rate, teachers’ qualifications, instructional materials, budgetary allocation and advocacy formation.
Recommendations were being articulated such as implementation of the proposed measures for enhancement on the implementation of the kindergarten program. Increase the budgetary allocation for the kindergarten program in order to meet the educational needs and foster quality learning among the children. Ensure that the availability of the materials should be to the fullest extent. Enrich the advocacy formation to enhance school and community relationship in promoting the welfare of the pupils and building closer relationship with the community.

Keywords: Status, Implementation, Kindergarten Program, Perception, Enhancement

This study explored the impact of school eating environments on the wellbeing of children in the Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) Early Learning Program in the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and compared childrens experiences of eating in FDK with those in childcare settings. Drawing on critiques of dominant approaches to evaluation, the study employed a wellbeing model that includes material security, relationship, engagement and meaning and used the Mosaic approach to participatory research with young children. Structured across three phases, the study followed a cohort of children in three childcare centre-school pairings as they transitioned from full-day childcare to full-day kindergarten. Phase 1 involved full-day observations, self-reported wellbeing, semi-structured interviews and drawings in the childcare centre. Phase 2 involved two visits and semi-structured interviews in the after-school care setting in the first months of kindergarten. Phase 3, like phase 1, involved full-day observations, self-reported wellbeing and semi-structured interviews in the classroom setting throughout the final six months of junior kindergarten (the first year of schooling in the province of Ontario, for children who turned four by December 31 of the school year). Whereas participants reported overwhelmingly positive feelings about lunch time in the childcare setting, reports in the FDK setting showed greater variation with few positive responses relating to the lunch experience itself. In interviews in the school setting, the child participants described not having enough time to eat their lunches, feeling sad that staff worked to prevent them from talking, and being happy about being able to choose some of the items in their lunches. Both parents and staff expressed concerns regarding the kindergarten eating environment and observations revealed the emergence of safety concerns, declining nutritional quality and confirmed both child and adult concerns. The study signals an opportunity for young children to meaningfully participate in wellbeing analyses of their environments. Furthermore, analysis suggests that the kindergarten eating environment is suboptimal and could be improved through the implementation of regulations and practices present in the childcare setting

This study explores smartness as a cultural construct rather than a biological
capacity. The cultural construction of smartness has broad consequences
related to teacher expectations, student academic identity development,
and schooling inequities. This study is based on a 1-year ethnography in
a kindergarten classroom, and the author investigates smartness by first historicizing
the concept of intelligence and then using the theoretical framework
of figured worlds. Through the teachers’ disciplinary and pedagogical practices, students were taught and learned not just whether they were smart themselves, but how other student identities were constructed according to smartness as well. Analysis suggests smartness was used as a mechanism of control and social positioning along racial and class lines. Implications are discussed related to schooling practices and policy.

Democracy requires citizens able to recognize and understand their rights and responsibilities they have towards themselves, the community and the state. If children learn to respect the rights of others, they show respect for themselves, also show the value of citizenship. Education of children's rights aims to prepare children for a world where every individual is valued, free and able to participate in personal development and a sustainable society. Education on children's rights aims to encourage the acquisition of knowledge, forming democratic attitudes and habits. This education is highly influential in the formation of individuals for what each of us can change things and each of us can choose what we can do, what not to do and how to act. Knowledge, attitudes and experiences are cultivated in pedagogical situations. Therefore, to have a successful teaching of human rights we should have a kindergarten that is based on values of democracy, equality, justice, individual freedom, responsibility. The teacher should develop in children the necessary knowledge and skills to facilitate their combination in the world of tomorrow, confidence and tolerance, cooperative and interdependent behaviour. The education of rights is introduced everywhere in teaching, extracurricular activities, excursions etc. The concepts of rights and responsibilities, the child learns only through concrete provisions. When the child performs a task, he is also exercising a right. Every child needs trust and confidence. To respect the freedom of the individual, to ensure equality, trust in justice, to protect the diversity is very important the adaptation of features and circumstances created, by exploring space, but also set limits to not affect the freedom and rights of another, so my freedom ends where another's freedom begins. Within the group in addition to individual freedom, it should be guaranteed the freedom, security and trust of all the children.

This study explored children's experiences of instructional alignment from prekindergarten through kindergarten. Using cluster analysis to analyze data from over 1,300 children in the 2009 Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), the study found that children have distinct and definable experiences of PK-K alignment. Results also indicated a disparity in children's PK-K alignment experiences, with Hispanic/Latino children more likely to attend Head Start programs with poor systems transition practices followed by kindergartens with poor classroom structures. http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/site abbrev Journal name will be used here Abstract This study explored children's experiences of instructional alignment from

This study focused on the transition patterns of African American boys from preschool to kindergarten using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) dataset. Analyses were conducted to examine whether socioeconomic status, parenting (i.e., emotional support, intrusiveness), and attendance in a center-based program predicted likelihood of being in a particular transition pattern. Four patterns emerged from the data: (1) Increasing Academically, (2) Early Achiever: Declining Academically

Cet article presente les resultats d’une etude multicas sur le role des centres de la petite enfance (CPE) au Quebec dans la preparation de la transition vers la maternelle des enfants et de leurs familles. La recherche s’appuie sur un modele de co-construction de la transition vers l’ecole et sur une vision d’une relation partagee des relations avec les familles. L’analyse des entretiens avec les educatrices et les meres de sept enfants de quatre ans revele trois themes de discussion : la preparation de l’enfant, le soutien au parent, et les rituels de transition. Ces themes font reference aux pratiques de transition formelles et informelles, aux attitudes et aux perceptions au sujet des besoins des enfants pour etre « prets » pour l’ecole et sur le fonctionnement de la maternelle.

Okay, I will play the central negative (devil’s advocate) and say if the Minneapolis /St. Paul Public Schools are spending over $20,000 per student in a classroom of 25, should parents and caregivers have their preschooler’s ready-to-read? If our young learners are not ready, should we (society) be looking at solving the constraints that stop our babies from being successful in their first public school engagement? It sounds easy, but the distractions in the Twin Cites are monumental.