Focus on Transition to Kindergarten

Starting kindergarten is an important milestone for young children and their families. 

As an early care and education provider, you play an important role in supporting this transition. There are many resources to help as you work to build children’s skills, prepare for changes, and support families. 

• Help families build skills at home. Families often wonder how they should help children prepare for kindergarten. To help them, you can share Hello Kindergarten! (Spanish), a joint OEC and CT State Department of Education (CSDE) brochure. This document includes key skills from the CT Early Learning and Development Standards (CT ELDS) and provides ideas for supporting these skills during daily routines and fun at-home activities.  You can order copies to be picked up at one of six locations across the state by completing the online order form.
• Get tips from NAEYC. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has an article that provides tips for supporting children and families with the transition.
• Access resources from Head Start. The Head Start Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC) website offers a range of resources related to kindergarten transition, including articles and videos. These resources are designed to support Head Start programs, but much of the information is relevant to all providers.
• Get transition resources from the OEC and CSDE. The OEC and CSDE issued joint guidance about the upcoming change to the minimum age to enroll in school and a New Entry Age for Kindergarten information sheet for families. In addition, there are resources for public schools to support transition available on CSDE’s website.