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1. Ready schools smooth the transition between home
and school.
Ready schools pay attention to the transitions that children and their parents
make as they move from the familiar home setting to the public school classroom,
and from preschool or child care to kindergarten. For many, these passages are
exhilarating; for others, they are treacherous. For children who have spent their
first five years at home, the demands of becoming a group member, sharing the
teacher's attention, and spending long stretches away from home are new and
challenging. For others, going to school means negotiating unfamiliar linguistic
and cultural terrain. The cultural divide between home and school is obvious for
children who are not native speakers of English. In many instances, children from
low-income and minority families must also bridge a cultural gap as they move
from home to school. For all these children, the initial transition from home to
school can be stressful, and how it takes place matters a great deal.
Schools can work throughout the year to narrow the gap between the culture
of the home and the culture of the school by working closely with parents and
community organizations; getting to know children in the multiple contexts of
their day-to-day lives; creating curricula sensitive to the children's daily
experience; and making use of curricula and pedagogy to celebrate the oral
traditions that are valued in their communities.
But everyone can benefit from practices that ease the transition. Because
children fare better in school when the welcome begins before the bell rings for the
first time, some districts and schools reach out to local families well before the
children reach age five. In written or personal communications, such districts and
schools may suggest steps that parents can take in the first years of life to ensure
that their children will get off to a strong, healthy start.
Many schools have found that home visits by teachers or principals before
children enter school have a substantial impact on kindergartners' adjustment to
their new setting. Lively and reassuring orientation sessions for parents and
children are also helpful, and should take into account families' linguistic and
cultural characteristics. Invitations should make it clear that both mothers and
fathers, as well as other interested family members, are encouraged to attend.
Orientation programs should allow plenty of time for question-and-answer sessions.
When the first day of school arrives, ready schools extend a warm welcome to
every child and family. This means meeting children and their parents (or other
caregivers) at the door, creating the kind of environment that will make them
want to cross the threshold, and conveying the expectation that Stephanie or
Jamal will be secure, happy, and successful in this environment. Of course, no
single action will do away completely with the natural apprehension that is so
common on the first day of kindergarten; after all, nervous excitement is part of
the experience. But a personal welcome sends the early and memorable message
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National Education Goals Panel (U.S.). Ready Schools, book, February 1998; Washington, D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc123536/m1/8/: accessed April 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.