Supporting Children and Families in the Transition to Kindergarten: A Guide for Early Childcare Providers

The transition to kindergarten is a major milestone, not only for children and families, but also for the providers to support them. As a child-care provider, your guidance plays a key role. You help children gain skills, caregivers feel more confident and prepared, and build the bridge between early childhood settings and schools. This guide will empower you as a provider and give you concrete, practical strategies you can use with family and children. 

The Importance of Kindergarten

As a provider, you play a key role in helping families understand why kindergarten matters. When talking with caregivers, focus on communicating that kindergarten is more than an academic starting point. It is a foundational year that supports the whole child. Help families know that kindergarten:

• Builds essential early educational foundations. Children begin learning letters, sounds, numbers, and how to think through problems, important foundations that future grades build on.
• Supports social-emotional growth. Kindergarten is a safe, structured environment that gives children the opportunity to practice managing feelings and building friendships. These skills predict long-term school success.
• Helps children learn how to work with others. When in kindergarten, children have the opportunity to work with other children, practicing sharing, taking turns, and solving small problems with friends. 

• Provides routine for children. Having a consistent routine can help a child feel safe and ready for the rest of school. 

• Boosts their confidence and independence. Children are learning to solve problems and do more for themselves, which helps them feel ready for the school year ahead. 

• Helps families engage early. Early caregiver involvement leads to stronger relationships with the school and better long-term outcomes for children. 

Remember, frame kindergarten as a positive and exciting step to reassure families that the goal is not perfection. Rather, it is growth, partnership, and supporting each child’s unique readiness. 

Why Kindergarten Transitions Matter

While kindergarten itself is important, the transition into kindergarten is just as critical. This transition sets the tone for how children and families experience school from the very beginning. When providers help prepare children early, through conversations, activities and practice routines, and family guidance, they create a bridge between early childhood programs and elementary schools. 

Communicating with Caregiver During the Transition Year

Clear, kind communication builds trust. Providers can help caregivers by:

• Using family centered language. Make caregivers feel welcome and valued by using language like, “you know your child best,” or “let’s work together to support this skill.”
• Sharing strengths about the child first.
• Discussing what kindergarten looks like. Explain that kindergarten often remains play-based, active and developmental. 
• Talk about readiness in a balanced way. Instead of implying ready vs. not ready, say things like: “Here are skills we can keep building together,”  or “your child is developing at their own pace.”
• Offer caregivers ideas about activities they can do at home to support their child. These may include reading books, practicing self-help skills, and playing games. 

Helping Prepare Families for Kindergarten Registration and Logistics

Many caregivers, especially first-time kindergarten families, are unsure about deadlines and processes. Providers can help by:

• Reminding them to check district registration dates, and encourage early registration.
• Explaining common paperwork that is required: proof of residency, immunizations, birth certificate.
• Encouraging families to check age-eligibility requirements at their home school district.
• Offering help with communication and paperwork. Providers can offer to help review paperwork with families to ensure nothing is missing and make the transition smoother. 

Building Relationships with Schools

Strong transitions happen when early childhood programs and schools communicate. Some suggestions include:

• Learn the school’s expectations, when possible. This can allow you to coordinate routines, behavior expectations, and vocabulary, which will in turn make for a smoother transition. 
• Share non-confidential information (with family permission) on children’s strengths. 
• Send home kindergarten summer-transition packets or district resources. 

These collaborations help everyone, the child, the family, and both sets of educators. 

Talking to Children About Kindergarten

Children benefit from open, excited conversations about school. Use simple, reassuring messages, like:

• Kindergarten is a new place where you will learn and make friends. 
• Some things will be the same and some will be new-and that’s okay!

You can also use play as a bridge and create activities that mirror kindergarten routines, such as:

• Having a pretend “morning meeting”
• Practice lining up
• Self-help stations
• Reading stories about starting school.

It can also be helpful to practice calm-down strategies that children can take with them: breathing, counting, sensory strategies. 

Summary

Research shows that kindergarten transitions are most successful when:

• Early childhood providers communicate regularly with schools.
• Families receive clear information and feel like partners.
• Children participate in routines that build their confidence and independence.
• Programs align expectations using state standards and shared vocabulary.

Early childcare providers are central to kindergarten readiness and transition. By building relationships with families, supporting skill development, offering clear information, and aligning expectations with state standards, providers help children enter kindergarten with confidence!

5 Key Takeaways 

1. Providers play a major role in kindergarten transitions by preparing children and guiding families. 
2. Strong communication that is clear, empathic, and strengths-based, is key to supporting caregivers. 
3. Aligning expectations with state standards helps ensure consistency and reduces family stress.
4. Providers should build partnerships with receiving schools whenever possible.
5. Children need reassurance, routines, and play-based opportunities to practice the skills they will use in kindergarten. 

FAQs

What if a caregiver is concerned their child is “not ready”?

Use strengths-based language and reassure them that kindergarten teachers expect a range of skills. Help them focus on routines, self-help, and communication.

What if families do not know their district or age cutoff?

Provide district links, explain that many NYS districts use December 1 as the cutoff and encourage families to confirm with their local enrollment office.

How can we support children with disabilities?

Collaborate with CPSE and CSE teams, share transition documents (with consent), and prepare children with predictable routines and visual supports.

Additional Resources

NYSED Early Learning Resources - Click Here

UPK & Kindergarten Family FAQs - Click Here

Key Terms

Transition practices are activities that help children move smoothly from preschool/UPK to kindergarten. 

Early Learning Standards are developmental expectations published by NYSED for preschool and kindergarten. 

Family Engagement refers to the collaborative communication and partnership between educators and caregivers. 

Continuity of Learning is the alignment of routines, expectations, and instructional practices between early childhood and elementary settings.

References

Allee, K. A., Clark, M. H., Bai, H., & Roberts, S. K. (2024). Direct and indirect impacts of  voluntary pre-kindergarten on kindergarten readiness and achievement.

Early Childhood Education Journal, 52(2), 319-331. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-022-01436-w

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Positive parenting tips for preschoolers. 

Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/child-development/positive-parenting-tips/preschooler-3-5-years.html

Purtell, K. M., Justice, L. M., & Jiang, H. (2023). The kindergarten transition: Creating a new model.

Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy. Retrieved from https://crane.osu.edu/our-work/the-kindergarten-transition-creating-a-new-model/