annotated bibliography

O R I G I N A L P A P E R

Family Concerns and Involvement During Kindergarten Transition

Leah K. Wildenger • Laura Lee McIntyre

Published online: 24 August 2010 ! Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010

Abstract The transition from preschool to formal schooling constitutes an important developmental mile-

stone for children and their families. Very few empirical

studies investigating the kindergarten transition for typi- cally developing children have been published, and fewer

have examined transition experiences from the perspective

of caregivers. The aims of our study were to investigate: (1) parent concerns during transition, (2) perceived needs

during transition, and (3) parent involvement in kinder-

garten preparation activities. Parents/caregivers of 86 general education students transitioning to kindergarten

completed a survey assessing their concerns, needs, and

involvement in transition preparation activities. Results suggest that although the majority of parents expressed few

concerns regarding their child’s kindergarten transition, a

subset (i.e., 27.9%) reported significant concerns. The areas of concern most often cited by families in this sample were

socio-behavioral in nature. Parents in this sample expressed

a desire for various types of information during transition. Parents most often reported engaging in low intensity

transition practices characterized by generic forms of contact, rather than more individualized and intensive

practices often cited in the literature as best practices. In

addition, parent involvement in transition preparation activities differed by family socioeconomic status as well

as district locale. This study offers practical suggestions

and policy implications for coordinating family and school efforts during children’s kindergarten transition.

Keywords Kindergarten transition ! Early childhood ! Parent involvement ! School readiness ! Parent-professional partnerships

Introduction

The transition from preschool to formal schooling is widely

acknowledged as a critical developmental milestone for children and families, with potentially significant implica-

tions for later school outcomes (e.g., Eckert et al. 2008;

Rimm-Kaufman and Pianta 2000). Conceptual literature on kindergarten transition suggests that children experience a

qualitative shift along multiple dimensions as they move

from preschool programs that may be play-oriented to more structured, academically oriented kindergarten

classrooms (Rimm-Kaufman and Pianta 2000). Theoretical

work also emphasizes that transition experiences may impact later academic and social outcomes for children

given that early school experiences often predict later school adjustment (Eckert et al. 2008). In fact, the kin-

dergarten transition has been labeled a ‘‘sensitive period’’

necessary for later school success (Rimm-Kaufman and Pianta 2000).

Research suggests that nearly half of typically devel-

oping children experience some degree of difficulty during transition to kindergarten in the absence of any significant

risk factors (Rimm-Kaufman et al. 2000). According to a

large, representative national sample of kindergarten teachers, 52% of children transition to kindergarten suc-

cessfully, 32% of typically developing children experience

a moderate level of problems in transition, and 16% of

L. L. McIntyre (&) Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences, University of Oregon, 5208 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-5208, USA e-mail: [email protected]

L. K. Wildenger Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA

123

J Child Fam Stud (2011) 20:387–396

DOI 10.1007/s10826-010-9403-6

incoming kindergartners have particularly difficult entries,

with serious concerns (Rimm-Kaufman et al. 2000). Fur- thermore, more than one-third of teachers reported that at

least half of their entering kindergarten classes exhibited

specific difficulties. The problems most frequently reported to impact at least half of incoming kindergartners were:

difficulty following directions (46%), a lack of academic

skills (36%), disorganized home environments (35%), and difficulty working independently (34%). These data sug-

gest that child socio-behavioral adjustment, and compli- ance in particular, is regarded by teachers as an area of

relative difficulty and concern for incoming kindergarten

students The extent to which some level of difficulty during transition is normal and not predictive of future problems

remains unclear given the lack of longitudinal outcomes

studies on this topic (Eckert et al. 2008). In addition, the Rimm-Kaufman et al. (2000) study is characterized by

methodological limitations associated with informant

reports; perhaps most notably, teacher reports of problems were moderated by teacher ethnicity. Nonetheless, these

statistics are worrisome given that some have suggested

that an adaptive, successful transition to kindergarten may be important for later developmental outcomes (Eckert

et al. 2008).

Theoretical literature suggests that kindergarten transi- tion is an important developmental period (e.g., Pianta and

Cox 1999; Rimm-Kaufman and Pianta 2000); however, the

empirical literature on kindergarten transition remains very limited. Eckert et al. (2008) reviewed the literature and

identified only seven empirical studies examining kinder-

garten transition for typically developing children. Since this review was conducted, three additional studies have

been published (i.e., Grace and Brandt 2006; LoCasale-

Crouch et al. 2008; McIntyre et al. 2007), resulting in a total of ten empirical studies addressing kindergarten

transition in American schools for typically developing

children. Because previous research suggested that typi- cally developing children may experience difficulties dur-

ing school entry (Rimm-Kaufman et al. 2000), additional

research focusing on kindergarten transition for typically developing children may be informative.

In sharp contrast with the dearth of empirical research

on kindergarten transition, the literature is replete with theoretical models and recommendations for best practices

in transition preparation activities. In particular, the Eco-

logical and Dynamic Model of Transition (Rimm-Kaufman and Pianta 2000) provides a helpful theoretical framework.

A key assumption of this model is that child-centered

models of transition emphasizing only children’s internal characteristics are inadequate to fully explain transition

outcomes. The model draws on ecologically-oriented sys-

tems theories and describes how links among child, home, school, peer, and neighborhood factors create a dynamic

network of relationships that influence children’s transition

to school both directly and indirectly. Therefore, The Ecological and Dynamic Model, well-recognized in the

transition literature, conceptualizes the kindergarten tran-

sition as a dynamic interaction between the child and multiple ecological contexts. In the current study, we

explored several variables that captured the ecology of

the family, school, and community as well as the inter- play between these contexts during the transition to

kindergarten. The Ecological and Dynamic model focuses on the role

of changing contexts and relationships amid the transition

to school, with respect to identifying risk and protective factors as well as effective ways to ameliorate the diffi-

culties associated with transition. Because transition is

characterized by both great environmental discontinuity between preschool and kindergarten and a decrease in

family-school communication (Rimm-Kaufman and Pianta

2005), efforts to remedy these issues have largely guided recommendations to ease transition difficulties. Therefore,

it is recognized that best practices to support kindergarten

transition are marked by efforts to stimulate family involvement and to foster communication between home,

preschool, and kindergarten contexts (Pianta et al. 1999;

Pianta and Kraft-Sayre 2003). Transition practices can be characterized by intensity and type of contact. Pianta et al.

(1999)suggest that high intensity practices and practices

utilizing personal contact are more effective than low intensity or generic forms of contact (Pianta et al. 1999).

For example, a home visit by a teacher is a more personal

type of contact and is a practice of higher intensity com- pared to a generic flyer sent home advertising an open

house. It is also recommended that transition practices

target children prior to school entry as opposed to after entering kindergarten (Pianta et al. 1999). Thus, earlier,

more individualized, and higher-intensity transition prep-

aration activities have been regarded as ‘‘best practices’’ in the transition literature (e.g., Pianta et al. 1999).

Although the value of high-quality transition practices is

recognized, there is evidence suggesting that these strate- gies are vastly under-utilized (Pianta et al. 1999). It is also

well established that factors associated with social and

economic disadvantage place children at an elevated risk for poor transition and early school failure (e.g., Fantuzzo

et al. 2005; Perry and Weinstein 1998; Rimm-Kaufman

et al. 2000). Thus, employing effective transition practices may be especially important for children and families of

low socioeconomic status, at risk given the lack of com-

munity and family resources (Pianta et al. 1999; Ramey and Ramey 1999). Although the transition literature often

suggests relations between kindergarten transition success

and later outcomes, only two studies have empirically demonstrated that a positive relation exists between

388 J Child Fam Stud (2011) 20:387–396

123

kindergarten transition practices and child socio-behavioral

and academic outcomes. These studies have begun to substantiate assertions in the theoretical literature regarding

the link between transition and child outcomes and

the importance of transition practices as an intervention approach to support children and families. Both studies

also suggest that the impact of transition preparation is

moderated by social and economic risk factors (Lo-Casale- Crouch et al. 2008; Schulting et al. 2005). Children and

families with increased social and economic risk factors may benefit more from transition preparation activities than

those with fewer risks. Although relatively more is known

about children at-risk for poor transitions by virtue of behavioral and socio-cultural characteristics, little is cur-

rently known overall about variables impacting child out-

comes in kindergarten, regardless of risk factors. The kindergarten transition not only impacts children,

but also may affect parents and other family members.

Families may experience significant concerns, including those regarding their child’s behavior and academic skills

(McIntyre et al. 2007). In addition, family involvement in

transition is considered important for positive child out- comes (Rimm-Kaufman and Pianta 1999). A study by

Schulting et al. (2005) suggested that the positive relation

between transition practices and child academic outcomes was partially mediated by increased parental involvement.

However, very few studies examine transition experiences

from the perspective of families (Pianta et al. 2001; McIntyre et al. 2007). The majority of transition studies

(i.e., Early et al. 2001; LoCasale-Crouch et al. 2008; Pianta

et al. 1999; Pianta et al. 2001; Schulting et al. 2005) pri- marily explore these issues from the perspective of teachers

despite the fact that transition practices are often joint

efforts between schools and families (Rimm-Kaufman and Pianta 2000). In fact, only one empirical study (i.e.,

McIntyre et al. 2007) examined family use of transition practices and involvement in transition preparation activi- ties. McIntyre et al. (2007) surveyed urban parents/care-

givers of children with and without disabilities about their

involvement and experiences in transition to kindergarten. Results suggested that families desired a higher level of

involvement in transition planning and wanted information

about kindergarten readiness. Families with fewer financial resources reported significantly less involvement in tran-

sition activities.

The present study extended the previous work of McIntyre et al. (2007), but differed in several important

respects. First, we broadened the scope of transition prep-

aration activities investigated. Second, we surveyed parents during the first 2 weeks of their child’s kindergarten year,

rather than asking them about transition preparation

prior to school entry. Although current models of transi- tion planning suggest that earlier involvement and more

individualized practices may be desirable, sampling fami-

lies at this time (i.e., 2 weeks into school) made it possible to capture some activities that might occur at school entry (e.g., orientation, open house). Third, we included families

residing in urban, suburban, and rural school districts. Finally, we only included parents of typically developing

children to examine family involvement, concerns, and

preparation activities within general education contexts. Thus, this study contributes to the literature on kindergar-

ten transition by describing the involvement and prepara- tion activities of caregivers of typically developing

children, an area that is currently underrepresented in the

published literature. Given the important role that families play in children’s

kindergarten transition, an exploration of parent perspec-

tives and behavioral involvement and investment during this process is warranted. In addition, family perspectives

and involvement in kindergarten transition is an area of

study that has received little attention in the empirical lit- erature. The aims of this study were to investigate: (1)

parent concerns during transition, (2) perceived needs

during transition, and (3) parent involvement in kinder- garten preparation activities.

Method

Participants

The sample included parents/caregivers of 86 students in

the Fall of their kindergarten year. To be included in the study, parents had kindergarten students who were: (a)

typically developing (defined as receiving general educa-

tion and not receiving special education or related ser- vices), (b) not retained a grade, and (c) living with them for

a minimum of 1 year prior to study entry. Children were

drawn from 16 classrooms in five elementary schools in two adjacent counties in the Northeast United States. Three

schools were located in a rural school district, one in a

suburban district, and one in an urban district. Tables 1 and 2 describe demographic characteristics of

children and families, respectively. Demographics were

consistent with student characteristics of the three school districts. More than half of the participants lived in the

rural district (57.0%), one-fourth in the suburban district

(25.6%), and 17.4% in the urban district. More than half (59.3%) of children were male with an average age of

64.78 months (SD = 3.73). The majority of children were White/Caucasian (77.9%) and had attended an early edu- cation program prior to kindergarten (90.7%), with nearly

half attending Pre-K in a public school (43.0%) (see

Table 1). Most parents were biological mothers (91.9%) who were White/Caucasian (81.4%), and were married or

J Child Fam Stud (2011) 20:387–396 389

123

living with their partners (75.6%). Nearly two-thirds

(61.6%) were employed, and approximately one-third (31.4%) held a bachelor’s degree or higher. Approximately

one-quarter (27.9%) of families were low income, report-

ing that they received government assistance and that their child received free/reduced lunch in school (see

Table 2).

Procedure

After obtaining approval from the university’s Institutional

Review Board and school districts’ research offices, kin-

dergarten teachers were asked to disseminate study mate- rials to parents within the first 2 weeks of school. A total of

324 packets were distributed and 110 were completed and

returned (response rate of 34.0%); however, 24 participants were excluded for the following reasons: (a) significant

missing data or consent forms (n = 3); (b) packets were returned more than 3 weeks past the established deadline (n = 7); (c) children had been in the custodial care of the primary caregiver for less than 1 year (n = 3); (d) family moved mid-study (n = 1); (e) child repeated kindergarten (n = 1); and (f) children received special education ser- vices (n = 9). Thus, a sample of 86 was obtained for the current study.

Upon consenting to participate, parents were asked to

complete one questionnaire about their concerns, needs,

and involvement in kindergarten transition activities, as well as demographic information. Parents were asked to

return the completed packets directly to the researchers,

and were provided with a $15 honorarium.

Measure

Family Experiences and Involvement in Transition (FEIT)

A revised version of the Family Experiences and

Involvement in Transition survey (FEIT; McIntyre et al. 2007) was completed by parents. The revised FEIT is

comprised of 72 items relating to five domains: (a) child

educational history (12 items; e.g., previous enrollment in early educational program); (b) family concerns (13 items;

e.g., academics, behavior problems); (c) family needs (14

items; e.g., more information about child’s kindergarten program or new teacher); (d) family involvement (14

items; e.g., transition planning meetings, visits to child’s

future kindergarten classroom); and (e) family sociode- mographic information (19 items, e.g., caregiver educa-

tion, income). Parents completed all five domains of the

survey. Parents were asked to indicate the extent to which they

were concerned about various transition issues by select-

ing from the options ‘‘no concerns’’, ‘‘a few’’, ‘‘some’’, or ‘‘many concerns’’, each corresponding to a quantitative

value ranging from zero to three. One of the 13 concerns

items was open-ended and another asked whether primary transition issues remained a concern; therefore, 11 items

quantified family concerns. A Total Family Concerns

score (11 items; alpha for current sample = .79) was created by summing all concerns items (possible range

0–33). Within the family needs domain, parents were

asked to check ‘‘yes’’ or ‘‘no’’ regarding whether items would have been helpful during transition. The 14 items

Table 1 Child demographics by school district (rural n = 49; suburban n = 22; urban n = 15)

* p \ .05, ** p \ .01, *** p \ .001

Variable Rural N (%) Suburban N (%) Urban N (%) F or v2

Gender—male 31 (63.3) 10 (45.5) 10 (66.7) v2 = 2.40

Age in months M (SD) 65.10 (3.65) 64.20 (3.89) 64.60 (3.92) F = 0.48

Race v2 = 84.58***

White/caucasian 49 (100.0) 18 (81.8) 0 (0.0)

Black/African-American 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 10 (66.7)

Asian 0 (0.0) 2 (9.1) 0 (0.0)

Hispanic/latino 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 1 (6.7)

Mixed 0 (0.0) 2 (9.1) 4 (26.7)

Receive free/reduced lunch 12 (24.5) 0 (0.0) 12 (80.0) v2 = 29.58***

Attend early educ program 43 (87.8) 22 (100.0) 13 (86.7) v2 = 3.09

Type of early educ program v2 = 43.98***

Pre-K in public school 27 (55.1) 3 (13.6) 7 (46.7)

Nursery school 3 (6.1) 9 (40.9) 0 (0.0)

Daycare 4 (8.2) 2 (9.1) 1 (6.7)

Head start 2 (4.1) 0 (0.0) 5 (33.3)

Special ed preschool 3 (6.1) 1 (4.5) 0 (0.0)

Other 4 (8.2) 7 (31.8) 0 (0.0)

390 J Child Fam Stud (2011) 20:387–396

123

reflected 12 possible needs, a category for ‘‘other’’ and

an opportunity to check ‘‘didn’t need help’’. Family involvement in kindergarten transition activities was dis-

cerned by asking parents to select between three options:

whether they ‘‘have’’, ‘‘want’’, or ‘‘don’t have or want’’ access to various transition practices. Those items that

caregivers indicated they ‘‘had’’ reflected transition prac-

tices that they reported to have engaged in. Therefore, the FEIT assessed the behavioral involvement of caregivers

and did not capture the activities offered by schools. A Total Family Involvement in Transition score (14

items, alpha for current sample = .78) was created by

summing those items that caregivers responded that they ‘‘had’’ from FEIT family involvement items (possible

range 0–14).

Data Analysis

Descriptive analyses were primarily used to explore family concerns, needs, and involvement in transition preparation

activities. Inferential statistics were used to compare parent

involvement in transition activities as a function of soci-

odemographic variables of interest.

Results

Family Concerns

Descriptive analyses using the Total Family Concerns

score indicate that the average concerns score was 4.2 (SD = 4.4; range 0–28), suggesting very few concerns on average. Although concerns were generally minimal, the

areas of concern most often cited by families in this sample were sociobehavioral in nature, including getting used to a

new school; following directions; and displaying behavior

problems. A small number of families reported ‘‘many’’ transition-related concerns, most notably in the areas of

child behavior problems and their child separating from his

or her family. Conversely, the largest proportions of care- givers reported having no concerns about toilet training,

their child getting along with his or her new teacher, and

Table 2 Family demographics by school district (rural n = 49; suburban n = 22; urban n = 15

* p \ .05, ** p \ .01, *** p \ .001

Variable Rural N (%) Suburban N (%) Urban N (%) F or v2

Respondent 42 (85.7) 22 (100.0) 15 (100.0) v2 = 3.17

Bio mother 3 (6.1) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0)

Bio father 1 (2.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0)

Step-mother 3 (6.1) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0)

Legal guardian

Age in years M (SD) 32.8 (5.8) 39.4 (4.3) 29.1 (5.8) F = 17.58***

Race v2 = 76.47***

White/caucasian 49 (100.0) 18 (81.8) 3 (20.0)

Black/African-American 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 9 (60.0)

Asian 0 (0.0) 4 (18.2) 0 (0.0)

Hispanic/latino 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 1 (6.7)

Mixed 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 2 (13.3)

Employed part/full-time 35 (71.4) 12 (54.5) 6 (40.0) v2 = 5.42

Education v2 = 57.52***

Less than high school 2 (4.1) 0 (0.0) 6 (40.0)

High school/GED 17 (34.7) 0 (0.0) 7 (46.7)

Some college 21 (42.9) 4 (18.2) 2 (13.3)

Bachelor’s or higher 9 (18.4) 18 (81.8) 0 (0.0)

Married/living w/partner 40 (81.6) 22 (100.0) 3 (20.0) v2 = 33.19***

Sole-caregiver household 1 (2.0) 0 (0.0) 10 (66.7) v2 = 47.34***

Annual family income v2 = 62.52***

$14,999 or less 6 (12.2) 0 (0.0) 11 (73.3)

$15,000–$54,999 21 (42.9) 1 (4.5) 3 (20.0)

$55,000–$99,999 17 (34.7) 7 (31.8) 1 (6.7)

$100,000 or more 5 (10.2) 14 (63.6) 0 (0.0)

Receive Government aid 12 (24.5) 1 (4.5) 11 (73.3) v2 = 21.64***

J Child Fam Stud (2011) 20:387–396 391

123

their child’s ability to communicate his or her needs, which

reflect the categories of least concern in this sample (see Table 3).

Family Needs

Parents were asked to indicate whether specific items/

activities would have been helpful as they planned for their child’s transition to kindergarten (see Table 4). Approxi-

mately one-quarter of parents indicated that more infor- mation would have been helpful concerning what the

family should have been doing to prepare for transition,

how the kindergarten program prepared for transition, their child’s kindergarten program, and their child’s new tea-

cher. Approximately one-half of parents wanted more

information about academic expectations in kindergarten and about their child’s skills. Approximately one-quarter of

families reported not needing help or assistance in planning

for their child’s kindergarten transition (see Table 4).

Family Involvement

Descriptive analyses using the Total Family Involvement

in Transition score suggest that on average, families used

6.77 kindergarten transition practices (SD = 2.86, range 0–12) from the 14 options listed. As shown in Table 5, the

most frequently used kindergarten transition practices were: visiting their child’s kindergarten classroom or ele-

mentary school, attending a kindergarten orientation,

attending kindergarten registration, and receiving written communication from kindergarten staff. Conversely, par-

ents were least likely to report receiving a home visit or a phone call from their child’s teacher over the summer and serving as a member of a transition planning team (see

Table 5).

We also investigated the relation between the Total Family Involvement in Transition score and a number of

sociodemographic variables. The Total Family Involve-

ment in Transition score was significantly correlated with maternal education (r = .37, p = .001), with higher edu- cation related to more involvement. Involvement was

also positively correlated with family income (r = .28, p = .013). Finally, caregivers of children who attended an early education program had more involvement in transi-

tion preparation (M = 7.10, SD = 2.73) than those who did not attend an early education program (M = 3.43, SD = 1.99; t(1,76) = -3.46, p = .001). Additionally, overall involvement differed significantly by district locale, F(2,75) = 8.32, p = .001. Post-hoc Sheffe tests indicate that families in the urban school district (M = 4.08, SD = 3.07) reported significantly less overall involvement than families in both the suburban (M = 7.50, SD = 1.87, p = .002) and rural (M = 7.21, SD = 2.80; p = .001) districts. This effect remained significant when income served as a covariate, F(3,74) = 5.50, p = .002.

Table 3 Family concerns (N = 86)

Concern None N (%) A few N (%) Some N (%) Many N (%)

Getting used to a new school 41 (47.7) 31 (36.0) 14 (16.3) 0 (0.0)

Following directions 49 (57.0) 24 (27.9) 10 (11.6) 3 (3.5)

Behavior problems 52 (60.5) 22 (25.6) 7 (8.1) 5 (5.8)

Separation from family 55 (64.0) 20 (23.3) 6 (7.0) 5 (5.8)

Academics 61 (70.9) 14 (16.3) 8 (9.3) 3 (3.5)

Kindergarten readiness 65 (75.6) 15 (17.4) 4 (4.7) 1 (1.2)

Getting along with peers 66 (76.7) 11 (12.8) 8 (9.3) 1 (1.2)

Ability to communicate needs 68 (79.1) 14 (16.3) 2 (2.3) 2 (2.3)

Getting along with teacher 76 (88.4) 6 (7.0) 2 (2.3) 2 (2.3)

Toilet training 80 (93.0) 5 (5.8) 0 (0.0) 1 (1.2)

Other concerns 82 (95.3) 1 (1.2) 2 (2.3) 1 (1.2)

Table 4 Family needs (N = 86)

Type of information desired N Percentage

Academic expectations in kindergarten 46 53.5

Child’s skills 41 47.7

What caregiver could do to prepare for transition 33 38.4

How kindergarten was preparing for transition 27 31.4

Future kindergarten placement 24 27.9

Child’s future/new teacher 22 25.6

Behavioral expectations in kindergarten 21 24.4

Child’s future/new school 20 23.3

How preschool prepared for transition 20 23.3

Emotional support/encouragement from school 12 14.0

Emotional support/encouragement from family 12 14.0

Past preschool placement 10 11.6

Other 9 10.5

Don’t need help/information/assistance 23 26.7

392 J Child Fam Stud (2011) 20:387–396

123

Discussion

We aimed to assess parent concerns, needs and involve-

ment during kindergarten transition in a sample of families

with typically developing children. Our results suggest that on average, parents had relatively few overall concerns.

This finding is generally consistent with the finding of

Rimm-Kaufman et al. (2000) who reported that kinder- garten teachers perceived the majority (i.e., 84%) of chil-

dren to have ‘‘very’’ or ‘‘moderately’’ successful school

entry experiences. Our finding that a small number of caregivers reported having ‘‘many’’ concerns regarding

specific facets of transition such as child behavior problems

and separation from family appears to correspond to tea- cher reports indicating that a smaller percentage of children

(i.e., 16%) experience a ‘‘difficult or very difficult entry,

serious concerns or many problems’’ (Rimm-Kaufman et al. 2000). The extent to which the type and degree of

transition problems and associated parent and teacher

concerns are predictive of negative outcomes is not well- understood, especially given the lack of kindergarten

transition outcomes studies. Although the majority of

parents in the current study did not express major concerns regarding their child’s kindergarten transition, the concerns

expressed seem to reflect common sentiments in the kin-

dergarten transition literature regarding the perceived importance of child socio-behavioral skills for early school

success (e.g., McIntyre et al. 2006; McIntyre et al. 2007; Rimm-Kaufman et al. 2000). According to teacher reports

in the NCEDL survey, the most commonly reported

problem among incoming students was difficulty following directions (Rimm-Kaufman et al. 2000). Findings from our

study suggest that parents and teachers may share many of

the same concerns for transitioning kindergarten students.

This finding may reflect a shared belief among stakeholders

regarding the importance of child social and behavioral skills during school entry to establish a solid foundation to

support learning, as has been suggested in the empirical

literature (i.e., LoCasale-Crouch et al. 2008). It goes beyond the scope of the current study to identify a defini-

tive reason for these seemingly shared concerns.

Parents also appear to have several perceived needs during transition. Two such needs expressed by more than

half of families were a need for more information about kindergarten academic expectations and a need for more

information regarding their child’s current skills. Thus,

parents may not fully understand the nature of the kin- dergarten curriculum, or how their child’s skills align with

school expectations. Many parents also expressed a desire

for more information about their child’s kindergarten pro- gram and teacher, as well as steps that kindergarten staff

had taken to prepare for transition. These expressed needs

may indicate that families feel less connected with kin- dergarten as compared to their child’s preschool program.

This pattern is consistent with research indicating that

family-school communication decreases drastically upon kindergarten entry (Rimm-Kaufman and Pianta 2005).

Finally, parents in this sample expressed a need to play a

larger role in transition preparation. Many parents indicated a desire for more information regarding strategies that they

could have engaged in to help prepare their child for ele-

mentary school. Findings from the present study regarding family

involvement in various transition practices corroborate the

findings from the NCEDL survey (Pianta et al. 1999). Data from the current study suggest the most frequently utilized

transition practices that parents reported to engage in were

relatively low intensity practices characterized by generic

Table 5 Family involvement by school district (rural n = 49; suburban n = 22; urban n = 15)

* p \ .05, ** p \ .01, *** p \ .001

Type of involvement Rural N (%) Suburban N (%) Urban N (%) v2

Visited child’s K classroom 47 (95.9) 21 (95.5) 10 (66.7) 12.44**

Attended K orientation 46 (93.9) 22 (100.0) 8 (53.3) 22.26***

Attended K registration 45 (91.8) 18 (81.8) 11 (73.3) 3.72

Received written info from K 42 (85.7) 18 (81.8) 3 (20.0) 28.06***

Attended K open house 30 (61.2) 21 (95.5) 4 (26.7) 18.71***

Attended annual meetings w/preschool 31 (63.3) 11 (50.0) 8 (53.3) 1.55

Monthly communication w/preschool 31 (63.3) 11 (50.0) 7 (46.7) 2.21

Attended planning meeting w/K 28 (57.1) 15 (68.2) 5 (33.3) 3.69

Attended transition info meeting 27 (55.1) 16 (72.7) 3 (20.0) 10.19**

Received written info from preschool 18 (36.7) 7 (31.8) 3 (20.0) 1.74

Attended preschool planning meeting 15 (30.6) 4 (18.2) 5 (33.3) 1.51

Member of preschool planning team 5 (10.2) 1 (4.5) 2 (13.3) 0.94

Received phone call from K teacher 3 (6.1) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 2.40

Received home visit from K teacher 0 (0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) –

J Child Fam Stud (2011) 20:387–396 393

123

forms of contact. Few parents reported to use higher-

quality, more individualized transition practices. Therefore, these results suggest that parents may not be engaging in

best practices as outlined in the literature (e.g., Pianta et al.

1999). Lower income families and those from the urban school district reported engaging in fewer transition prac-

tices overall and were significantly less likely to endorse

engaging in several specific transition practices. These patterns are also consistent with the findings of the NCEDL

Transition Practices Survey (Pianta et al. 1999), which showed that urban schools and those with a higher per-

centage of families below the poverty line were less likely

to implement more intensive transition practices. Thus, our findings suggest that children’s transition to kindergarten

may be a transactional process (Rimm-Kaufman and Pianta

2000), in which parent opportunities for involvement vary as a function of both family and community contextual

variables. Parent-reported total transition involvement was

significantly related to several family-level indicators of SES, including income and maternal education. These

findings complement the teacher-reported findings from

previous research (Early et al. 2001; Pianta et al. 1999, 2001; Schulting et al. 2005). Thus, it appears that families

of lower socioeconomic status may have significantly less

involvement in transition. These findings should, however, be interpreted with caution given the relatively small

sample of low-income families included in the sample as

well as the small number of schools reflecting urban, rural, and suburban districts. Future studies using larger and more

representative samples would do well to further explore

these preliminary findings. It is important to note that the current study differed

from the work of Pianta and colleagues in that it used

parent rather than teacher reports of transition preparation activities. The majority of empirical literature addressing

the kindergarten transition relies solely on teacher reports

that illuminate transition practices at the school level (i.e., Early et al. 2001; LoCasale-Crouch et al. 2008; Pianta et al.

1999, 2001; Schulting et al. 2005). Although these studies

document the range of activities offered by schools, the current study provides an important perspective by exam-

ining differences in transition practices reportedly used by

individual families. This study contributes to the literature on kindergarten transition by highlighting the unique per-

spective of parents during this period.

Although characteristics of students in the sample reflected the school district populations from which they

were sampled, overall the sample was relatively homoge-

neous. Furthermore, the demographics were clearly strati- fied by district locale and related to kindergarten transition

preparation. Families in the low-SES, largely Black/Afri-

can-American urban district were significantly less involved in transition preparation compared with both

other districts, in particular, with families in the high-SES,

mainly White/Caucasian suburban district. Even after controlling for demographic variables, family involvement

in transition preparation remained significantly related to

district locale. Although covariates were used in some of the analyses, it was difficult to parse demographic features

from idiosyncrasies in school district practices in transition

preparation. The response rate in the current study was relatively low (34%), although considered acceptable and

typical for mail surveys (e.g., Bernard 1994), particularly since we requested parents to respond to an educational

survey that was voluntary and not directly linked to

immediate benefits or services. Finally, the three school district locales were not evenly represented in the sample,

with fewer urban caregivers represented in the sample.

Taken as a whole, these features may limit the generaliz- ability of findings. However, given that few studies focus

on parent perspectives and involvement in kindergarten

transition, we believe the present study makes an important contribution to the extant literature. Additional studies

using larger, more representative samples are needed to

explicitly examine differences in parent involvement across geographic locales in order to substantiate these

findings.

In addition, there are several limitations associated with self-report measures. Selection bias, retrospective report-

ing, social desirability, and demand characteristics may

have influenced parent reported data. Furthermore, parents were asked to report on kindergarten transition preparation

and practices during the first few weeks of the school year.

Thus, the extent to which kindergarten transition practices occurred after data collection is unknown. In addition, the

FEIT assessed the involvement of parents and did not

capture involvement opportunities offered at the elemen- tary school level. Therefore, it is unclear whether certain

involvement activities were unavailable, or offered and not

attended by parents. Similarly, it is unclear whether activities were offered by the school or initiated indepen-

dently by parents. A final concern is that parents may not

have been aware of the full extent of the transition prepa- ration programming implemented by their child’s pre-

school program. This issue would be well-remedied by the

inclusion of preschool teacher-reported data on transition preparation, as presented in the study by LoCasale-Crouch

et al. (2008).

Although recent conceptual work has highlighted its importance, the transition to kindergarten for typically

developing children is an under-studied area, thus, future

research should aim to fill the gaps in the empirical liter- ature. The current study described caregiver perceptions

and involvement, and did not link these data with infor-

mation on child transition experiences. There is a need for additional studies to explore the relation between transition

394 J Child Fam Stud (2011) 20:387–396

123

preparation and child outcomes, including academic,

social, behavioral, and emotional adjustment. Research on outcomes will inform our knowledge of the effectiveness

of kindergarten transition programming. To date, only two

empirical studies have linked kindergarten transition pro- gramming with improved child outcomes in kindergarten

(LoCasale-Crouch et al. 2008; Schulting et al. 2005).

Although these studies correlated transition preparation with child outcomes, there remains a need for randomized

controlled trials examining kindergarten transition inter- ventions to determine whether transition preparation plays

a causal role in improved child outcomes (LoCasale-

Crouch et al. 2008; Schulting et al. 2005). Future research should attempt to examine transition practices at both the

school and the family level and the ways in which these

activities may interact to best support children. It is also important to examine specific features of pre-kindergarten

and kindergarten programs as well as community variables

that may facilitate greater family involvement in transition. Improving the quality of family experiences during

transition is a potential area of intervention for profes-

sionals supporting children and families. Although most families do not report high levels of concern during tran-

sition, a subset appear to have many concerns. Conceptual

literature on transition (e.g., Rimm-Kaufman and Pianta 2000) suggests that strong partnerships among families and

professionals be forged to create continuity between early

care and formal school environments. To this end, it is encouraging that a significant portion of families in the

current sample indicated a desire to play a more substantial

role in transition planning and preparation for their chil- dren. When caregiver anxieties are present, these could be

better addressed by improving communication between

home and school. Specifically, schools can clarify kinder- garten academic and behavioral expectations with families

and share information about the kindergarten program and

curriculum to assuage parent concerns and engage them as partners. Best practices suggest that these expectations be

elucidated in the context of transition planning meetings

and other individualized events involving families and both preschool and elementary educational professionals prior

to transition in order to facilitate home-school partnerships

and align environments (e.g., Pianta et al. 1999). The results of this study indicate that very few families

of typically developing children, even those that report

being highly involved, take advantage of high-quality, individualized practices that are discussed as ideal in much

of the kindergarten transition literature. Prior research

assessing school-based transition activities (e.g., Pianta et al. 1999; Schulting et al. 2005) suggests that schools tend

to offer more generic, low-intensity transition preparation

options to families. Therefore, this may also be the case in the present sample and may not reflect best practices

presented in the kindergarten transition literature (e.g.,

National Education Goals Panel 1998; Pianta et al. 1999, 2001; Rimm-Kaufman and Pianta 2000). If lack of

resources is a barrier, funding kindergarten transition pro-

gramming could be a target for district or state-level funding in order to offer high-quality, individualized

transition programming to all families and children. Tran-

sition initiatives could also include the improvement of teacher training programs to emphasize strategies to

facilitate kindergarten transition success for all students. This could be accomplished both through teacher educa-

tion programs and continuing professional development

opportunities. In the current study, structural factors of districts appeared to make unique contributions to transi-

tion preparation beyond family-level factors such as

income and parental education level; thus, efforts to improve transition preparation opportunities in low-SES

school districts could be targeted. However, further

research on the impact of transition programming on child outcomes is needed to justify the tentative policy recom-

mendations presented here and based on a best practices

model. It is also important to note that other family-level barriers (e.g., time, resources) may contribute to these

findings. In particular, low-SES families in our sample

were found to have reduced involvement in transition activities. School professionals can make a concerted effort

to reach out to low-SES families, who may not feel like a

partner in their child’s education, and likely have less time and fewer resources to devote to transition preparation

(Christenson 2004). The unique system-level barriers faced

by these families necessitates special consideration by professionals on behalf of incoming kindergarten students.

The kindergarten transition represents a unique opportunity

for professionals and families to partner in order to foster positive early educational experiences for children.

References

Bernard, H. R. (1994). Research methods in anthropology: Qualita- tive and quantitative approaches (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.

Christenson, S. L. (2004). The family-school partnership: An opportunity to promote the learning competence of all students. School Psychology Review, 33, 83–104.

Early, D. M., Pianta, R. C., Taylor, L. C., & Cox, M. J. (2001). Transition practices: Findings from a national survey of kinder- garten teachers. Early Childhood Education Journal, 28, 199–206.

Eckert, T. L., McIntyre, L. L., DiGennaro, F. D., Arbolino, L., Begeny, J., & Perry, L. J. (2008). Researching the transition to kindergarten for typically developing children: A literature review of current processes, practices, and programs. In D. H. Molina (Ed.), School psychology: 21st century issues and challenges (pp. 235–252). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.

J Child Fam Stud (2011) 20:387–396 395

123

Fantuzzo, J., Rouse, H., McDermott, P., Sekino, Y., Childs, S., & Weiss, A. (2005). Early childhood experiences and kindergarten success: A population-based study of a large urban setting. School Psychology Review, 34, 571–588.

Grace, D., & Brandt, M. (2006). Ready for success in kindergarten: A comparative analysis of teacher, parent, and administrator beliefs in Hawaii. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 4, 223–258.

LoCasale-Crouch, J., Mashburn, A., Downer, J., & Pianta, R. (2008). Pre-kindergarten teachers’ use of transition practices and chil- dren’s adjustment in kindergarten. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 23, 124–139.

McIntyre, L. L., Blacher, J., & Baker, B. L. (2006). The transition to school: Adaptation in young children with and without intellec- tual disability. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 50, 349–361.

McIntyre, L. L., Eckert, T. L., Fiese, B. H., DiGennaro, F. D., & Wildenger, L. K. (2007). The transition to kindergarten: Family experiences and involvement. Early Childhood Education Jour- nal, 35, 83–88.

National Education Goals Panel. (1998). Ready schools. Washington, DC: Author.

Perry, K. E., & Weinstein, R. S. (1998). The social context of early schooling and children’s school adjustment. Educational Psy- chologist, 33, 177–194.

Pianta, R., & Cox, M. (1999). The transition to kindergarten. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

Pianta, R., & Kraft-Sayre, M. (2003). Successful kindergarten transition. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

Pianta, R., Cox, M., Taylor, L., & Early, D. (1999). Kindergarten teachers’ practices related to the transition to school: Results of a national survey. The Elementary School Journal, 100, 71–86.

Pianta, R., Kraft-Sayre, M., Rimm-Kaufman, S., Gercke, N., & Higgins, T. (2001). Collaboration in building partnerships between families and schools: The National Center for Early Development and Learning’s Kindergarten Transition Interven- tion. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 16, 117–132.

Ramey, C. T., & Ramey, S. L. (1999). Beginning school for children at risk. In R. C. Pianta & M. J. Cox (Eds.), The transition to kindergarten (pp. 217–251). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Pub- lishing Co.

Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., & Pianta, R. C. (1999). Patterns of family- school contact in preschool and kindergarten. The School Psychology Review, 28, 426–438.

Rimm-Kaufman, S., & Pianta, R. (2000). An ecological perspective on the transition to kindergarten: A theoretical framework to guide empirical research. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 21, 491–511.

Rimm-Kaufman, S., & Pianta, R. (2005). Family-school communi- cation in preschool and kindergarten in the context of a relationship-enhancing intervention. Early Education and Devel- opment, 16, 287–313.

Rimm-Kaufman, S., Pianta, R., & Cox, M. (2000). Teachers’ judgments of problems in the transition to kindergarten. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 15, 147–166.

Schulting, A., Malone, P., & Dodge, K. (2005). The effect of school- based kindergarten transition policies and practices on child academic outcomes. Developmental Psychology, 41, 860–871.

396 J Child Fam Stud (2011) 20:387–396

123