Understanding Parents' Perspectives on the Transition to Kindergarten: What Early Childhood Settings and Schools Can Do for At-Risk Families

This paper addresses the importance of parent involvement in facilitating positive transitions from early childhood settings to elementary school for children with challenging behaviors and/or those at risk for more serious emotional/behavioral disorders. Qualitative interviews with parents of children with social-emotional/behavioral challenges, their Head Start teachers and advocates, and their kindergarten teachers were conducted to gain an understanding of how these parents experienced various transition activities provided by preschools or receiving schools and how these activities functioned to help support parent involvement in the transition process. Based on these data, we developed a conceptual model linking parent needs to elements of transition supports that can be provided through preschools and receiving schools. Key elements of this model include communicating information, providing emotional support, and preparing parents to act as their children’s primary advocate within the school system.