Supporting children and families with opportunity gaps: educators’ perspectives of a summer kindergarten transition program

ABSTRACT

Effective transitions to kindergarten engage families and ease children into new environments. Countdown to Kindergarten (CTK), a program in a southeastern U.S. state that serves more than 1,000 children each year and is grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, partners kindergarten teachers and families to facilitate effective transitions for those who often experience opportunity gaps. Research partners surveyed 238 CTK educators (98% of participating educators). Educators indicated that CTK had a positive impact on increasing family awareness of school expectations, promoting smooth transitions, and developing positive relationships between teachers and families. The perceived quality of CTK and parent investment in CTK significantly predicted educators’ belief that CTK exceeded its goals of enhancing connections between the blended systems in which children interact. The model provides curricular approaches, activities, and materials for six sessions prior to kindergarten entry that can be replicated to better serve children and families in need.

KEYWORDS:

• Survey research
• kindergarten transition
• school-family partnerships
• evaluation

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the input from teachers involved in the Countdown to Kindergarten Program administered by South Carolina First Steps and First Steps local partnerships.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a Preschool Development Grant from the Administration for Children and Families/US Department of Health and Human Services [grant number: 90TP0080-02-00] administered by the South Carolina Department of Social Services and South Carolina First Steps.

Notes on contributors

Leigh Kale D’Amico

Leigh Kale D’Amico, EdD, is a research associate professor in the Research, Evaluation, and Measurement Center at the University of South Carolina. She also teaches and serves as a dissertation chair for students in the EdD in Educational Practice and Innovations: Curriculum Studies track at the University of South Carolina. Her research focuses on early childhood education, curriculum and instruction, teacher preparation, professional development, and student success.

Xumei Fan

Xumei Fan earned her PhD in Educational Psychology and Research from the University of South Carolina (USC). Prior to joining the School of Education at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2023, Xumei worked for the Research, Evaluation, and Measurement (REM) Center at USC. Xumei’s research interests include educational research, assessment, and evaluation practices; mixed-methods study; teacher education; and early childhood education. She also has experience teaching both undergraduate and graduate level courses including classroom assessment methods, introduction to research in education, and design and analysis of educational surveys.

Sommer Garrett

Sommer Garrett, MS, LPC, is a research assistant in the Research, Evaluation and Measurement Center at the University of South Carolina. She is also a doctoral candidate in the Counselor Education and Supervision Program. She maintains a professional counseling license in South Dakota. Her research focuses on program evaluation, cultural immersion, and trauma education. She also has experience providing counseling services and training internationally.

Xiaofang Zhang

Xiaofang Zhang, MEd, in Educational Psychology and Research from University of South Carolina (USC). Previously she worked at the Research, Evaluation, and Measurement Center at USC focusing on arts assessment and early childhood projects. Currently she’s an Assessment Development Scientist at American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Janice Kilburn

Janice Kilburn, PhD, serves as the School Transition Coordinator at South Carolina First Steps. With a master’s degree in school psychology and PhD in developmental psychology, her applied work focuses on issues in the fields of education and child development. Previous professional roles are school administrator, director, visiting professor, education consultant, and school psychologist

Alexis Jones

Alexis Jones, MS, is an Evaluation Coordinator with South Carolina First Steps. During her time at First Steps, Lexi has overseen the implementation of a feedback initiative called “Your Voice Matters,” which works to engage community members throughout the evaluation process. She also supports the evaluation of the agency’s First Steps 4K program which provides state-funded, free, full-day four-year-old kindergarten in non-public school settings to Medicaid-eligible children statewide.

Chelsea Richard

Chelsea Richard, PhD, MSPH is an applied epidemiologist at the intersection of early childhood education and public health. As Director of Research and Strategy at South Carolina First Steps and the Early Childhood Advisory Council, she has demonstrated extensive experience in research and evaluation, data infrastructure and capacity building, and strategic planning and performance measurement, including establishment of the Research and Strategy team. She is also an Affiliate Faculty Member at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health. Chelsea holds a PhD and an MSPH in Epidemiology from the University of South Carolina and a national Certified Public Manager credential from the State of South Carolina.