Ensuring School Readiness through a Successful Transition to Kindergarten: The Indiana Ready Schools Initiative

Autor/inn/en	Clark, Patricia; Zygmunt-Fillwalk, Eva
Titel	Ensuring School Readiness through a Successful Transition to Kindergarten: The Indiana Ready Schools Initiative
Quelle	In: Childhood Education, 84 (2008) 5, S.287 (7 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0009-4056
Schlagwörter	School Readiness; Kindergarten; Transitional Programs; Institutional Cooperation; Family School Relationship; Preschool Curriculum; Preschool Teachers; Professional Development; School Community Relationship; Indiana + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Readiness for school; School ability; Schulreife; Institute; Co-operation; Cooperation; Institut; Kooperation; Pre-school education; Preschool education; Erzieher; Erzieherin; Kindergärtnerin; Vorschulerziehung; Vorschule
Abstract	The kindergarten year symbolizes entrance into formal schooling and is a critical juncture for young children. Easing the transition into kindergarten to ensure the maximum success in that pivotal year merits much attention and careful planning. Since the National Education Goals Panel made public its readiness goals (1997), many states across the United States have focused their efforts in early childhood education on school readiness. In 2004, Indiana was one of six states selected to participate in a Ready Schools pilot project funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. This project, administered by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), also included Arkansas, Connecticut, Oregon, Washington, and West Virginia, and focused on the "ready schools" component of school readiness. During the two years of the project, states were able to meet periodically and share information and resources. Although some of the states involved had already made strides in considering how to get children ready for school, the focus of this initiative was on getting the school ready for children. This article describes the Indiana Ready Schools initiative that includes 12 communities around the state. These communities range from some of the largest cities in Indiana, with dozens of elementary schools, to small towns and rural areas with only one elementary school serving a whole county. The guiding question for each community has been "What can we do--in early childhood programs, in elementary schools, with families, and in the community--to facilitate children's successful transition into kindergarten and the elementary grades?" Each community has addressed the issue differently, based on the resources and needs of that particular community. This article also discusses some common concerns which had been identified during their meetings and a number of common ways to address the transition between the pre-kindergarten years and kindergarten. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Association for Childhood Education International. 17904 Georgia Avenue Suite 215, Olney, MD 20832. Tel: 800-423-3563; Tel: 301-570-2111; Fax: 301-570-2212; e-mail: headquarters@acei.org; Web site: http://www.acei.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10