Transitions Across Home, ECE and School

The strands in the early childhood curriculum Te Whāriki  underpin the objective of providing a base for children to be able to build on their learning and become confident and competent in school. The New Zealand Curriculum explains that supporting of the transition process from early childhood requires fostering of a child’s relationships within their social environment, building and recognising all their experiences and collaborating with family and whanau.

Multiple factors affect a child’s transition from early childhood to school, and some of the main factors are:

– Whether there is a collaborative approach and effective communication between school, early childhood service and the family during the transition process;

– Early childhood and primary teachers understanding of both the early childhood and the NZ schools curricula;

– Children’s understanding of the different curriculum of the school, and the school’s social and physical environment; and

– Children’s preparedness for the academic challenges of the school curriculum.

I’ll discuss each of these factors and share examples with you.

Teachers have different approaches to managing the transition processes.

As early childhood teachers, we need to understand that each child develops differently; hence we need to adapt the pace of the transition programme accordingly.

Parents Leaving their Child For the First Time in Care – An anxious time.

“A heart wrenching moment for all parents is when we leave our child for the first time in the care of someone else who is not well-known to us or at early childhood service or school. A child may become a lot quieter than usual or kick up a fuss. Either way as parents we

Parents On Children Starting School.

Starting school is a major milestone in any child’s life but it can be stressful, and the success or otherwise of the transition period between childcare or preschool can set the tone for a child’s academic career.

However while the focus is often on getting the child ready to start school, it can al

The Best Age to Start School. By Dr Sarah Alexander.

In New Zealand nearly all children have their first full day at primary school on or very close to their 5th birthday. This is a social custom as it is not a legal requirement for families to enrol their child until 6 years of age. Parents have a choice to continue their child in early ch

Attending Multiple Early Childhood Services in NZ.

Children can attend more than one ECE service. But this was not always recommended.

When a child attends kindergarten, he should not, except in special circumstances, also attend playcentre. This is an overlapping of services and is contrary to the policy of nursery playcentres generally. It