Transforming transitions to primary school: using children’s funds of knowledge and identity

ABSTRACT

Transition to school experiences influence children’s wellbeing, development, and learning at the time of transition and future transitions. Effective transitions require schools to engage with children and families in ways that connect and empower them in the transition process. In this study children aged 3–6 years and their teachers used a Funds of Knowledge (FoK) and Funds of Identity (FoI) lens to reimagine transition practices for children and their families. Through a design-based thinking process, qualitative data was collected from four professional learning days, as well as individual coaching sessions, observations of the first days of school, and stakeholder interviews. Case studies were developed in collaboration with each participating school. Findings showed three design principles developed by the teacher participants positively impacted teachers’ and schools’ preparation for transitions. All stakeholders described the design-based process as useful in transforming transition practices and thinking about transitions from different perspectives.

KEYWORDS:

• Transition to primary school
• funds of knowledge
• funds of identity
• transitions
• design research

Introduction

Transitions are experienced throughout our life and impact learning and wellbeing. Fabian and Dunlop (2007, 3) define transitions as ‘a dynamic time of change’ and ‘accelerated developmental demand’. The transition to school is a significant moment in the lives of children and families and can support children’s current and future learning and wellbeing. A growing body of international evidence identifies the importance of a positive start to school to benefit children’s continuity of learning; feeling safe, secure and developing a sense of belonging; reinforcing an enthusiasm for learning, building children’s social and emotional skills and overall wellbeing (Babić 2017; Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation 2021; Dockett and Perry 2013; 2015; Education Scotland 2022; OECD 2017). The discourse about transitions is often centred on school readiness and orientation. In this project, we invited teachers to reimagine and transform transitions through a FoK and FoI lens (Wilders and Wood 2023). Evidence suggests successful transitions to school are built on collaborative partnerships with families and the consistent exchange of information between community-home-school contexts provides emotional scaffolds to support children and families’ wellbeing (Ackesjö 2014; Babić 2017; Dockett and Perry 2013). Over (2016) adds children’s wellbeing can only be established when a sense of belonging is experienced in the new environment.

In Australia, the transition to school can occur at different age levels and most states and territories provide preschool of some variety. In Western Australia, 87% of children (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2022) attend kindergarten (for children turning 4 by the 30th June in the school year) which is a non-compulsory year of free sessional education administered by the school system. Many independent schools in Western Australia make use of the Education Act (1928), which allows children, the day they turn three, to be at school unaccompanied by an adult. This sessional programme has become known as pre-kindergarten. Therefore, Western Australia has the youngest children in Australia attending school highlighting the importance of transitions research.

Transition to school and the continuity of learning

International evidence highlights how transitions are strengthened when viewed from multiple perspectives (children, parents, teachers) (Bakopoulou 2022; Viskovic and Višnjić-Jevtić 2020; Wilders and Wood 2023). The Australian Early Years Learning Framework [EYLF] (AGDE 2022, 24) highlights the importance of transitions in which teachers know and build on each ‘child’s individual, family and community’s ways of knowing, being and doing’. Creating positive transitions involves recognising the resources, knowledge, and experiences children and families bring with them during the transition to school (Dockett and Perry 2015). Establishing the school setting as a place of safety, security, and connection requires teachers listen and respond thoughtfully to recognise the strengths of children and families building their knowledge and confidence as participants in the transition process (Babić 2017; Education Scotland 2022). Dockett and Perry (2014) highlight when children experience continuity with learning and transitions, they are more likely to remain confident as they move to a new educational setting. Additionally, finding out about children’s funds of knowledge and identity and using this information to plan for the transition assists with continuity.

Funds of knowledge (FoK) and funds of identity (FoI)

Children bring to school their Funds of Knowledge (FoK) which is the understanding of self, family, community, and experiences to make sense of their lived experience (Esteban-Guitart and Moll 2014). It can be thought of as a ‘virtual backpack’ of all the life experiences and knowledge children bring into the early childhood setting (Barblett, Boylan, and Ruscoe 2023). While Funds of Identity (FoI) refer to the accumulation of these social and historic resources that are central to understanding, situating, and expressing self (Esteban-Guitart and Moll 2014). The knowledge, skills, and stories children share in educational contexts build a sense of competence and belonging alongside other children (Education Scotland 2022).

Using FoK and FoI is a strength-based approach teachers can use to reconsider how children and families transition into school. Other studies have used children’s interests and the knowledge they bring with them from home (FoK and FoI) to influence transitions. For example, Miller Marsh and Zhulamanova (2017) focused on making children’s FoI visible through the curriculum to enhance children’s positive sense of identity. Findings identified a mismatch between the focus on children’s sense of identity and the teacher’s hesitation to offer the curriculum children desired. Karabon’s (2017) study investigated how children mediated their cultural knowledge into dramatic play and discovered three factors as key to empowering children to do so: the promotion of social interaction, developing relationships, and co-constructing new understandings. Dockett and Perry (2015, 127) found teachers in Australian schools prioritise transitions to bridge the connection between home and school however opportunities to gather and extend ‘children’s existing knowledge, skills and understandings’ could be further explored. In this study, we demonstrate the impact of incorporating children’s FoK and FoI through three design principles collaboratively developed to assist teachers to transform the transition to school.

This study aimed to answer the following research questions:

1. Does knowledge of FoK and FoI assist in transforming transitions?

2. What effect did the design principles have in making transition processes more effective?

Research methodology and design

This study was qualitative and ethnographic in nature and used a Design Research (DR) model comprising five phases: Immersion, Synthesis, Ideation, Prototyping and Feedback (NoTosh website 2022). DR is an agile methodology aimed at producing theoretical insights and practical solutions to real-world problems in collaboration with stakeholders (McKenney and Reeves 2019). The Design Research process as shown in Figure 1 assisted in the development of three design principles. The principles framed a case study for each school which involved a rich description of the setting and individuals followed by the analysis of the data for themes or issues (Wolcott 1994).

Figure 1. The design research phases.

The research team (the named authors) and the Association of Independent Schools (WA) worked in collaboration with NoTosh, a company that uses design-based thinking to support and challenge participants as they move from passive thinking to dynamic activity (NoTosh 2022). NoTosh provided expertise and coaching to guide the teachers through the DR process. The named authors provided professional learning about FoK, FoI, child-centred curriculum, strategies for transitions and family engagement and assisted the teachers to develop a community of practice to share ideas. They also conceptualised the study and gathered all data, conducted the analysis and wrote each school’s case study.

Participants

AISWA invited expressions of interest (EOI) from independent schools in Western Australia who would like to reimagine transitions in the light of child-centred curriculum approaches through a FoK and FoI lens using a design-based thinking process. Ten schools (see Table 1) were purposively chosen to represent a range of socio-economic communities, philosophical and pedagogical beliefs, and gender of student cohorts from nine metropolitan and one rural site. At each site, information was collected by research assistants from teachers, their colleagues, education assistants, parents of transitioning children and educational leaders in the school. The research team also worked with the ten teachers and three educational leaders who attended four professional learning days across 2021 and 2022.

Table 1. Schools participating in the study and the transition classes.

School	Transition point	Age of children	N (T) teachers /(L) leaders participating
1. School One	Kindergarten class	4–5 years	1 T and 1 L
2. School Two	Kindergarten class	4–5 years	1 T and 1 L
3. School Three	Kindergarten class	4–5 years
4. School Four	Pre-Kindergarten class	3–4 years	1 T and 2 L
5. School Five	Kindergarten class (Cycle 1)	4–5 years	1 T and 1 L
6. School Six	Pre-Kindergarten class	3–4 years	1 T and 1 L
7. School Seven	Kindergarten class	4–5 years	1 T and 1 L
8. School Eight	Mixed Pre Kindergarten and Kindergarten class	3–5 years	1 T and 1 L
9. School Nine	Pre-Kindergarten class	3–4 years	2 T and 1 L
10. School Ten	Kindergarten class	4–5 years	3 T and 2 L

Note: In Western Australia the terms pre-kindergarten and kindergarten are used and refer to a similar age group to the term pre-school, that is 3–5 years of age. In this study all pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes were on a school site. T: Teacher; L: leader.

Ethical considerations

Ethics approval was received from Edith Cowan University Human Research Ethics Committee prior to collecting data from participants (number 2020-02070). Written informed consent was collected from all participants. Interviews were recorded with participant permission and returned for comment before analysed. Case studies were drafted and sent to each school for comment, refined if necessary and sent back until an agreement to publish was obtained.

Data collection

The following data collection methods were used to enable triangulation of data and form the case studies.

Professional learning days – Teachers and some school leaders attended four sessions across a calendar year conducted in 2021 to upskill teachers in contemporary thinking about child-centred transitions, FoK and FoI, engaging families, transitions and how to carry out a design thinking process. The research team led days one and four and NoTosh led days two and three.

Interim coaching sessions – teachers attended online coaching sessions with NoTosh personnel based on the G.R.O.W coaching model, which initially sought to understand the participant’s goal/s (G) for the session. The participant outlined their current reality (R) in relation to the established goal. The coach and participant then discussed the possible options (O) available to drive them closer to their goal and finally, actionable steps were decided upon what the participant would do (W). This model was goal oriented and follows a similar logic to the design thinking process.

Observation protocols – In the first weeks of school in 2021 and 2022 observations were conducted by research assistants over two days using an observation protocol on one early childhood class. The observation protocol was divided into time blocks as per the setting timetable and research assistants observed the actions of the teachers and teacher assistants. Planning and documentation associated with the transitions were also collected.

Stakeholder interviews – Stakeholder interviews were conducted with teachers of the transition year level (n = 21), each school’s principal and/or early childhood leader (n = 20) and parents/carers (n = 38) of transitioning children to gather their perceptions of the transition experience.

Documentation analysis – In February 2021 and 2022 research assistants collected documents pertaining to transition approaches and practices (e.g. timetables, parent handouts/presentations/communication, National Quality Standard Quality Improvement Plans). This data was analysed to give a rich description of what each school did.

Interim talking points – During June 2021, the first three named researchers visited each school to meet with teachers and leaders to present the analysis of the observations and interviews, presented as ‘talking points.’ Factors sustaining and disrupting the transition were described to support teachers to identify changes to transitions focusing on children’s FoK and FoI.

Mapping grid – A mapping grid was developed by the researchers (see Appendix) to assist schools with prototyping their transition ideas. Teachers completed the mapping grid against each design principle in October of 2021 to plan for changes to transitions for 2022. Each school outlined the strategies they would use to address each principle, a timeline, and how they would measure the impact of the changes.

Interviews with NoTosh personnel – Interviews were conducted with NoTosh at the end of 2021 to gather data about the implementation of design thinking and the application to transforming transitions in schools.

Data analysis

Using a thematic analysis process, observation protocols, interviews and documents were inductively analysed and themes were developed where commonalities, relationships and differences were found (Gibson and Brown 2009). The design principles were co-developed by the research team and NoTosh after viewing the findings to represent the commonalities between schools. Teachers and leaders voiced their opinions, but no advice was given to change. The design principles became the codes to which the researchers then deductively coded the data collected from 2022. In this deductive process, the principles were then analysed for effectiveness. Design principles can be thought of as ‘rules of thumb’ which reflect theoretical understandings to guide teachers as they transformed the transition (McKenney and Reeves 2019). The case studies of 2022 transition approaches and practices were developed from this data.

Key findings and discussion

Our research questions focused on whether knowledge of FoK and FoI assisted teachers in transforming transitions and the effect the design principles had in making transition processes more effective. In this paper, discussion and findings are presented together in the following section to demonstrate the impact of the design principles.

The design principles

In a design-based thinking process, a usual output is a set of design principles. Design principles characterise the ‘prescriptive’ theoretical understanding developed during the Design Research (McKenney and Reeves 2019, 39). The three design principles developed in this study helped organise our data as case studies. The three principles are outlined in Table 2 with their associated sub-themes.

Table 2. Design principles developed to transform transitions using FoK and FoI.

1. ‘Belonging’ and ‘being’ to support strong connections	2. A shared vision for all stakeholders	3. Leadership for powerful transitions
Know each child and be visibly responsive to their funds of identity and knowledge: invest in the ‘virtual back-packs’ children bring through intentional planning.  Respect the child’s right to ‘be’ a child: Affirm each child’s identity and sense of safety.  Cultivate respective, responsive relationships to build connection between children, families, teachers, school and community.	Use clear, consistent communication that values sharing ideas and active listening to foster high levels of engagement and participation with children, families and professional colleagues.  Collaboratively design a transparent blueprint of the ‘transition game plan’ that is culturally responsive to children, families and respects the values of the school’s ethos.	Focus attention on transitions as a critical tool for change to enhance the quality of early childhood education and the long-term positive outcomes for children and families.  Commit to leading and supporting staff involved in transitions, recognising the contributions and expertise of colleagues at all levels.  Adapt and innovate flexibly in response to diverse and evolving priorities of all stakeholders.

The principles are outlined further with examples from the ten case studies to exemplify and discuss with supporting literature.

Principle 1: ‘Belonging’ and ‘being’ to support strong connections

Belonging and being in this study reflected the EYLF (AGDE 2022) concepts of experiencing a sense of ‘belonging’ through the development of trusting relationships to know where and with whom you belong and ‘being’ which ‘recognises the significance of the present as well as the past in children’s lives’ (AGDE 2022, 6). A sense of belonging was deemed essential by all teachers, yet at the beginning of the study, teachers had not heard of the terms FoK and FoI.

Knowing each child and being visually responsive to their FoK and FoI was the first sub-theme of this principle. Reflecting on this principle one teacher in school eight said,

I’ve always set up our environment using the information I already had about the children’s likes and interests. This year, I explicitly explained why I set the environment out that way, so they[children] knew I had them in mind and I had purposely put items out because I knew they enjoyed it.

Teachers described a variety of ways they collect information to know each child which was commonly done using questionnaires to find out about children’s families, culture, personality, medical needs, routines, strengths and abilities, and interests. The information was collected the year before and used by some teachers as a basis for planning and connecting children to the setting when they transitioned. In one school, the questionnaire asked children to directly contribute their ideas with a parent/caregiver asked to scribe. Teachers in some schools expressed frustration with delayed enrolment information from administrators and some families indicated they were not aware of how information about their child was used (Barblett, Boylan, and Ruscoe 2023)

As teachers planned more intentionally using children’s FoK and FoI, parents noticed and felt more connected as teachers demonstrated a sense of ‘knowing’ their child. One parent from school ten commented, ‘I saw photos of [my child] on (an app) doing things that I know are of interest to him that we had mentioned.’ The literature supports the importance of finding out children’s FoK and FoI, and using it to plan for transitions to develop a learner-responsive environment and a sense of belonging (Bulkeley and Fabian 2006; Dockett and Perry 2012; Wilders and Wood 2023). Utilising information about the children for transition planning to create a child-centred curriculum was crucial in transforming the transitions.

The second sub-theme of principle one respected children’s rights to be a child, affirming their identity and sense of safety. Such notions are supported both by the EYLF (AGDE 2022) and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations 1989). One teacher from school seven spoke of viewing transitions through the child’s lens rather than the adult lens,

I was looking at it from my point of view and thought I’d made them [children] feel a sense of belonging, but I hadn’t looked at it from the child’s point of view – ironic really. That’s been a really big change.

This viewpoint led to more flexibility in the timetable, not taking children to subject specialists in the first term/first few weeks and including more time for play. One teacher from school four commented, ‘Letting go of structural routines and following the children’s lead resulted in more flow and helped to maintain a calmer atmosphere.’ Similarly, Sairanen and Kumpulainen's (2014) study found children’s sense of agency was impacted by affective and material environments, as well as the presence of rules, time and interactions across social and activity contexts. Ensuring children have agency in transitions and time for play was crucial for fostering safety and considering their needs.

Family responses to transitions also impacted children's sense of belonging. The teachers understood parents/carers were undergoing an identity transition, now being a parent/carer of a child attending school. Teachers’ experiences showed parents’ emotions about their child’s transition to school were reflected in how the child presented. A teacher from school seven explained she had become more conscious of ‘ … working with how the children were when they arrive at school and of the parent’s feelings of anxiety or stress or happiness when they walked through the door.’

In this study, parents also described their anxieties for their child such as their child’s ability to make friends and be ready (mature enough) to attend. Previous studies also suggest the formation of friendships with peers plays a critical role in supporting children’s transitions and directly influences learning (Dockett and Perry 2012; Griebling and Gilbert 2020). Jose et al. (2022) identified a parent’s experience of transition is often explored through ‘readiness’ in terms of their child’s independence and perceived ability to navigate the physical and social aspects of the new school environment. Additionally, many parents desire to be active participants in their child’s transition valuing strong connections and communication with the new setting (Tobin et al. 2022).

Teachers in this study valued having time to communicate with parents during the transition. Half the schools in this study used a staggered entry which meant small groups of children came at different times to get to know the environment and the teachers before all children started together. Teachers found staggered entry improved communication with parents and anxiety-prone children. Additionally, some schools invited parents to stay longer for the first few days of transition to allow both parent and child to adjust. Bakopoulou’s (2022) study investigating the impact of Covid-19 on transitions in the early years found extended transitions were also favoured by some participants with staggered entry and/or smaller groups arranged.

The third sub-theme of principle one described relationships between children, families, teachers, school, and all schools in this study fostered events to initiate positive relationships. Prior to enrolment events such as ‘peek’ (at the classroom) and picnics, parent information evenings, teddy bear picnics, coffee catch-ups and play dates were held. The focus was on cultivating reciprocal relationships with parents/carers rather than as one teacher described her changed approach, ‘talking at’ parents. School four chose to ‘play up the power of play’ during an orientation workshop to develop a shared understanding with parents of the benefits of learning through play. After this workshop, a parent from school four commented, ‘This school feels like they focus more on the children, and we feel very safe and comfortable sending him there.’

Incidental conversations occurring with parents during pick up and drop off were seen to be instrumental in forming relationships. Covid-19 restrictions in 2021 impacted face-to-face communication so schools developed innovative methods to overcome this. Similarly, Bowyer-Crane et al. (2021) reported significant impacts of Covid-19 on school starters with parental concerns about settling children in and delayed social-emotional skills. School two conducted online video meetings with children and families which provided teachers with a window into children’s lives. The teacher met the child and parent/carer online in the context of their home, including siblings, pets, favourite toys and a tour of the home. A transformative practice in the eyes of teachers was the production of videos or ebooks to introduce teachers and the new school environment to children. One teacher from school two commented, ‘We had a video tour instead of making an eBook and that worked really well. The parents loved that. And the children really liked seeing us and hearing our voices’.

Connecting with diverse parents at orientation events provided opportunities for exploration to cultivate respectful relationships. One teacher in school four questioned, ‘What more can we do to gather families’ cultural backgrounds? How can we make families culturally included?’ Home languages were incorporated into the programme from commencement in some schools and were visible in the learning environment. Acknowledging the diversity of all families and children and reflecting this in planning for transitions is an important practice to build connections with families and children (Department of Education and Training VIC 2017). The teacher from school six re-thought cultural responsiveness during the study. She had thought about culture mainly as acknowledging ethnicity and commented, ‘this is not correct as every family has its own culture’.

Principle 2: A shared vision for all stakeholders 

Teachers in this project indicated creating a shared vision for all stakeholders underpinned by clear and consistent communication was important. Further, collaboratively developing a transparent blueprint of the transition that was culturally responsive to children and families and respected the ethos of the school assisted in re-thinking transition practices.

The first sub-theme of principle two (Using clear and consistent communication which valued the sharing of ideas and active listening to foster high levels of engagement and participation with children, families and professional colleagues) was thought about carefully by schools in this study. Teachers reported the transitions project increased open communication between staff and leadership teams, enabling whole school re-examination of existing processes. Some schools developed action plans which included visual models to establish a shared vision for transitions in the school. To design a shared blueprint of the transition plan schools collected opinions from multiple stakeholders including parents, children, staff, leaders, education assistants, and other teachers in the school. Similarly,Dockett (2018) highlights the intersection between school and early childhood pedagogies, practices and philosophies and identifies the importance of professional collaboration in the transition process. School four developed an action plan with a mission statement with three core pillars for change. This action plan became the driver of change in alignment with the design principles and was communicated to other school staff.

Schools previously gathered information from families, however the biggest shift was the reciprocal nature of information sharing through communicative pathways. One principal (School eight) said, ‘Having that (gathering information from the family) at the forefront and going forward and having the information before we start the year as well, I think that’s been a big change for us.’ She went on to add having ‘more explicit conversations (with families) about why we do this’ was another change. One teacher (School six) said of this reciprocity,

This project helped me look through not only the teacher lens but the parent lens and the child lens as well. That principle really helped me in making it more open and more of a two-way communication – not just giving information but listening as well.

In this two-way communication teachers talked of listening more intently to parents concerns about their children in the transition process. One parent from school three remarked, ‘It was important to acknowledge children’s feelings and emotions in the transition process and not to do so would be damaging to the child’. She spoke of other transitions in other places where she had heard adults say things like, ‘ … you are a big boy now’ or have children compared to others in their ability to cope with the transition process. She was pleased this was not her experience at this school. The schools understood parents held the potential to go out into the community and tell their friends and saw early interactions with parents were important to the transition and an opportunity for celebrating the positive culture and environment offered by the school. Evidence supports this finding (Dockett and Perry 2016; Dunlop 2017) where the nature and quality of interactions between parents and teachers during transitions influence children’s educational trajectories. Co-constructing the transition to school with families has positive benefits for children and families where the two-way communication process is strengthened.

Principle 3: Leadership for powerful transitions

During the project, teachers recognised the importance of being able to advocate to leaders of the school illustrating the importance of transitions. For some schools, leaders recognised the early childhood teachers as specialists and entrusted pedagogical decision making to them. Families viewed this as a strength, illustrated when a parent from school one said, ‘the teaching staff are trusted experts in the administrator’s eyes.’ Fabry, Barblett, and Knaus (2022) also found Australian primary Principals relied on early childhood teachers to assist in early childhood pedagogical decision making.

Focusing on transitions in one early learning centre in school 10 assisted them to develop more collegial relationships between the school and ELC staff. The ELC leader stated, ‘Opening up our thinking and having time to delve has allowed us to reflect more deeply on transitions and how can we make the unique context of having the ELC on our site work together?’ In another school, leadership was distributed among the early childhood team who were united in their desire for transitions to support children’s well-being. Transitions became understood not as a one-off event at the start of the year, but as the Kindergarten teacher in school seven said, ‘ … every day all year – all the little transitions that add up to what they are feeling and experiencing.’ Joerdens (2014) study also found when transitions are viewed as a process rather than a ‘one off’ children and families’ sense of competence and belonging is affirmed.

Schools committed to leading and supporting staff involved in transitions. Recognising the contributions and expertise of colleagues at all levels is subtheme two of this principle. In particular, early years leaders’ involvement in the project from the beginning allowed for deeper conversations and commitment to actioning the project with alignment to school policy documents, timetables and allocation of resources. In school seven reorganisation of physical and human resources was made to adjust for increasing enrolments requiring more staff. School four chose to commit the stability of staff to support teachers, children and families. Leadership team support assisted teachers to implement creative strategies for children's FoK and FoI, ensuring responsiveness to individual needs. Barblett and Kirk (2018) found schools improved practices where leaders shared power and gave early childhood teachers agency in pedagogical decision making. One teacher at school four commented, ‘Being given the freedom to do what is best for children has helped me relax and breathe and made and me feel more comfortable.’ The leader described, ‘The project brought a deeper understanding of the why, so that we reconsidered why we do what we do.’

Usefulness of viewing transitions through a FoK and FoI lens and use of the design principles

In this study the concept of transforming practice through transitions contributed to understanding the potential of transitions themselves to create change. All three principles led to changes in practice however the empowerment of teachers to exercise aspects of collaborative leadership that recognised their expertise was significant. The teachers courageously shifted from considering transitions as just a process of orientation to the new setting to an opportunity to be responsive to children and families’ FOK and FOI in their planning. In this sense, children were positioned as shapers of the curriculum, as the teachers’ curriculum decisions were responsive to children’s interests (Heydon, Crocker, and Zhang 2014). One teacher (School four) said of the three design principles and FoK and FoI:

The three principles instantly gave me a filter to look at everything and ask what are my actual priorities? In terms of funds of knowledge, that then helps you evaluate all the information coming in and to filter what you actually want to collect. What’s going to be valuable from my perspective, the families and the child’s? What do I value? And it helped in shifting the focus away from me as the teacher in the room back to the children.

Another from school seven stated, ‘We’ve made transitions more of a priority – this project made us feel we had permission to modify and improve on good things to make them great.’

Limitations

The design principles’ usefulness was assessed through interviews with teachers and leaders after one implementation cycle. Further studies on multiple cycles would provide long-term data and benefit. Additionally, in DR studies it is acknowledged researcher bias is a limitation as the researcher/s is heavily involved in the conceptualisation, design, development, and implementation of the research (Barab and Squire 2004). In this study multiple data collection methods increased the trustworthiness and reliability of the findings.

Conclusion

Australian policy and curriculum documents (AGDE 2022) emphasise continuity of learning and transitions but putting this into practice is challenging. Schools in this study were challenged to consider children's FoK and FoI as key considerations in reimagining transitions and strengthening early childhood pedagogy and practices. As a result of the three design principles developed, schools were able to create a participatory culture to transform the transition by acknowledging children and families’ FoK and FoI. Children's and families’ long-term outcomes were enhanced with a focus on transitions as a critical tool for change. Transitions as a bridge (Huser, Dockett, and Perry 2016) provides a useful metaphor. However, we argue that schools and teachers’ consideration of children and families FoK and FoI as they travel over the transitions bridge provide opportunities to transform practice. This paper identifies insights to inform schools and teachers worldwide.

Consent to participate

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the teachers and schools that came on this journey and AISWA who made that possible.

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Association for Independent School Western Australia [AISWA] [grant number G1005447-32672]

Appendices

Appendix. Grid used to map each schools action against the design principles

Table

	Design Principle	Strategies	Who	Resources	Timeline	Measure
1	‘Belonging’ and ‘being’ to support strong connections
	Know each child and be visibly responsive to their funds of identity and knowledge: invest in the ‘virtual back-packs’ children bring through intentional planning. Respect the child’s right to ‘be’ a child: Affirm each child’s identity and sense of safety. Cultivate respective, responsive relationships to build connection between children, families, educators, school and community.
2	A shared vision for all stakeholders
	Use clear, consistent communication that values sharing ideas and active listening to foster high levels of engagement and participation with children, families and professional colleagues. Collaboratively design a transparent blueprint of the ‘transition game plan’ that is culturally responsive to children, families and respects the values of the school’s ethos.
3	Leadership for powerful transitions
	Focus attention on transitions as a critical tool for change to enhance the quality of early childhood education and the long-term positive outcomes for children and families. Commit to leading and supporting staff involved in transitions, recognising the contributions and expertise of colleagues at all levels. Adapt and innovate flexibly in response to diverse and evolving priorities of all stakeholders.