A Transition-to-Kindergarten Committee developed ways to improve transitions from childcare to public school kindergarten in Middletown. Early care and education teachers worked alongside kindergarten staff to identify, develop, and implement projects that would meet this goal. The program was facilitated by the Coordinator of Early Childhood Services at Child and Family Agency and Middletown's School Readiness Coordinator.

The goal was to provide an opportunity for preschool children to be introduced to kindergarten classrooms. This would ease the transition from preschool to the more structured kindergarten setting.

The School Readiness Coordinator called each school principal for available tour dates and canvassed all preschool and childcare programs to get a list of those interested and dates available. Then the preschools were matched with the elementary schools and confirmations were sent out.

A grant from Child and Family Agency in New London funded the work to organize the tours. In some cases, the preschool programs paid for a bus if they needed one, but many programs used parent transportation. The schools donated snacks and drinks.

Each program sent classes to one of the district's elementary schools. There they toured the school, met the principal, visited a kindergarten class, enjoyed a snack in the cafeteria, and played on the playground. This event earned an overwhelmingly positive response from the preschool staff, parents and elementary principals. The principal of the Wilbert Snow School said, "I thought the tour went very well. The children were delighted and interested. They seemed to benefit from their orientation to the 'Big School.' This project should be repeated."

The Parent Resource Coordinator and the Transition-to-Kindergarten Project Assistant helped conduct the tours for the preschool children. Some of the principals asked to conduct the tours themselves. Children saw the art, music and gym spaces and the library. They ate snacks in the cafeteria, listened to a story in the kindergarten rooms, and played on the playgrounds. The tours lasted approximately one hour each.

The work will continue next year in Middletown. Additional projects are in process, and new ideas for easing the transition to kindergarten are being developed.

There were few obstacles to accomplishing this project. Everyone enjoyed participating and felt the effort was worthwhile.

Comments from project participants note the value of this work. The Director of the Middletown Cooperative Nursery School remarked, "We have accomplished concrete projects to help Middletown's children in the transition from preschool to kindergarten. As a preschool teacher, I have learned more about what is expected of my students." One Head Start teacher noted, "As a preschool teacher, it was nice to mingle with the kindergarten teachers and learn more about their expectations. To have this communication is fantastic!" A MacDonough School kindergarten teacher commented, "It was nice to get together with preschool teachers to talk and to share ideas." The program was also very popular with parents who were sending their first child to school.

School Readiness Council Coordinator, Snow School, (860) 346-7354

Sheila Daniels has long been involved with childcare issues in Middletown, whether through the PTA or the Middletown Schools Association, as a former daycare provider or as coordinator of the School Readiness Council. Through the School Readiness Council, she became involved in Middletown's Touring Schools Program in which classes of preschool children are given the opportunity to tour a public school in preparation for kindergarten.

Ms. Daniels is the tour guide for this program and notes that its main goal is to create "a nice transition for parent and child-so they know what to expect, have met the principal, seen the classroom, and know what the inside of the building looks like."

The group is creating a directory with pictures of each school and kindergarten classroom. The directory will go to every preschool program in Middletown so that parents and children can see what kindergarten is like. "I think the Transition-to-Kindergarten Program is so important because you are bringing together these two groups of people who haven't met before. We get them together every six to eight weeks and bring in guest speakers dealing with issues that concern them. It gives preschool program participants the opportunity to listen and talk to kindergarten teachers."

Says Ms. Daniels of the program and the School Readiness Council: "It helps me to be a better mom, which is most important to me."