A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

National Evaluation of The Even Start Family Literacy Program, 1998

Chapter 5

What Transitional Services Are Provided to Children Moving to Kindergarten and Primary School?

Even Start projects are expected to design early childhood education programs so that each participating child can receive developmentally appropriate services for at least a three-year time frame. During these years, children may experience one or more transitions in services such as: from home-based activities to enrolling in a pre-kindergarten program, moving from pre-kindergarten to kindergarten, or from kindergarten to primary school. Projects are expected to assist children and parents to make these transitions successfully. Exhibit 5.14 lists various transitional services for children and the percentages of Even Start projects that implemented each type in 1995-96 and 1996-97.

Between 1995-96 and 1996-97, the percentage of projects that offered special programs to prepare pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children and their parents for the transitions increased from 63 to 69 percent. For pre-kindergarten children, the most frequent transitional service was facilitating the transfer of student information to kindergartens, reported by 59 percent of projects in 1995-96 and by 66 percent in 1996-97.

More than half of projects helped families with the transition from kindergarten to primary school by coordinating activities with primary school staff and facilitating student information transfer. As stated earlier, families with school-age children were a relative minority in Even Start. Even so, there were slight increases in the percentage of projects offering services to facilitate this transition since 1995-96.

Exhibit 5.14: Transitional Services Even Start Projects Provide to Children (1995-96 and 1996-97

Transitional Services

Percent of Projects

For Pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten Children

1995-96

1996-97

Conduct special programs for pre-kindergarten and/or kindergarten children and parents to facilitate the transition (e.g., special summer program for children, readiness workshops for families)

63%

69%

For Pre-kindergarten Children

    

Facilitate transfer of student information to kindergartens (e.g., student assessment information, student records)

59%

66%

Take parents of pre-kindergarten children to visit kindergarten; hold parent meetings with Even Start and kindergarten teachers

48%

55%

Work with kindergarten staff (e.g., coordinate program activities, conduct joint staff training)

50%

54%

Conduct joint activities for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children

45%

52%

Take pre-kindergarten children to visit kindergarten; take kindergarten children to pre-kindergarten programs to share experiences about the higher grade

46%

49%

For Kindergarten Children

    

Work with primary school staff (e.g., coordinate program activities, conduct joint staff training)

51%

54%

Facilitate transfer of student information to primary schools (e.g., student assessment information, student records)

49%

54%

Conduct joint activities for kindergarten and primary school children

35%

41%

Take parents of kindergarten children to visit the primary school; hold parent meetings with Even Start and first-grade teachers

28%

29%

Take kindergarten children to visit the primary school; take children from primary school to kindergarten to share experiences about the higher grade

24%

25%

Conduct extra-year transition classes and/or developmental kindergarten to prepare children for the first grade

19%

18%

Exhibit reads: In 1996-97, 69 percent of Even Start projects conducted special programs to help pre-kindergarten and/or kindergarten children and their parents to transition to kindergarten or primary schools.

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