Starting school is a significant milestone for young children and their families and how well children are prepared for this transition can impact their immediate adjustment as well as long-term outcomes. Traditional approaches to school readiness prioritise children’s readiness skills along with the readiness of environments in which children find themselves.
Transition programs typically prioritise the ‘orientation’ components of school readiness and are designed to demystify and familiarise children with the expectations of kindergarten – with programs starting months before commencement and extending into the first term of school.
Our immediate environments - the early childhood service and home learning contexts - become increasingly important as children approach these transition points as do our broader social, economic, and cultural environments. The current COVID-19 context presents unique challenges as to how we view school readiness as well as our approach to school transition.
For the majority of 4- and 5-year-olds across Australia, this transition experience looks like no other. This session is presented by Associate Professor Cathrine Neilsen-Hewett, Academic Director of the Early Years at the University of Wollongong. It examines the unique experience of our COVID-19 pre-schoolers and considers how we can best prepare children for transition experience with a particular focus on the impact of stress and children’s social and emotional wellbeing.
National Quality Standard Areas
Area 1 – Educational Program Practice
Area 5 – Relationships with children
Area 6 – Collaborative partnerships with families and communities