Kindergarten is a big step for students and their families. Each year presents an opportunity for a warm and welcoming introduction to the classroom for the whole family. Children and families may exhibit symptoms of anxiety or trauma, creating greater urgency for teaching skills to build hope.  

State Superintendent Chris Reykdal’s mission and priorities emphasize equitable access to strong foundations, including developmentally appropriate opportunities for social-emotional learning (i.e., learning the knowledge, skills, and abilities to develop healthy identities and habits, manage emotions, maintain healthy relationships, and make responsible decisions) critical to success in school and life.

To help the transition into school, families can consider the following actions:

• Establish daily routines around mornings, mealtimes, and bedtimes, including consistent expectations, shared routines, and opportunities to connect. Be flexible during periods of change to reduce stress.
• Talk with your child about what they see, hear, and feel. Help your five-year-old children learn and grow, and engage them in conversations.
• Connect with your child’s teachers regularly and address concerns as soon as possible. Relationships and open communication with your child’s teachers and helpers create pathways to understand how your child responds to different social environments—at home, with friends, at school, and in other settings.
• Share what matters most to your child with their teachers. What does your child like to do? What are your child’s favorite and least favorite foods? What comforts your child when they are upset? Find these conversation ideas and more in Introducing Me!.

Resources for Families: Transitioning into Kindergarten – Routines, Schedules, and Supporting Well-Being

• Check out the Vroom app for parenting tips to capture learning opportunities at mealtime, bath time, bedtime, or anytime.
• Learn about ages and stages including activities and guidance from the Washington Early Learning and Development Guidelines.
• Use PBS Learning Media's kindergarten readiness resources to engage and build skills for a strong start in school.
• Learn about WaKIDS (Washington’s transition process to support new kindergarteners), find resources including Introducing Me!, review Frequently Asked Questions, and more.
• Find resources to help your child learn and support their developmental needs.
• Visit National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations for helpful tips on routines, emotional regulation, transitions, and more.
• Learn how families are partners in promoting family engagement.
• If you or someone you know are struggling with mental health, help is available through many sources including Crisis Connections, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Resources for Educators: Creating a Culture through Hope and Healing in the Learning Community 

• Gauge your schedule on the social-emotional and physical needs of 5-year-old children factoring in that your class may be the child’s first exposure to playing with peers. Consult the Social-Emotional Pathways.
• Consult PreK to 3rd Reentry: Connecting to Families for ideas to build robust family communication and partnerships as kids emerge. As many children lacked opportunities to play with peers during the pandemic, entering kindergartners may demonstrate a wider span of development than kindergartners prior to the pandemic. Adults may exhibit anxiety about separating from their children, which requires the school’s attention and support to retain a warm, inviting relationship. 
• Utilize OER Commons Classroom and Assessment resources for ideas to establish a classroom community and learning routines.
• Build your learning environment incrementally as you get to know your students’ goals and how they manage their learning. The WaKIDS observational assessment is an ongoing, documentation of children’s emerging skills, knowledge, and learning and if used regularly, can provide invaluable data to guide what is included in learning centers for Plan, Do, and Review.
• Recommendations for early childhood educators to create a caring, equitable community of engaged learners.

“Kindergarten is more than just play. It is one of the most formative periods for learning and development in a child’s life. At 5 to 6 years old, children begin to develop critical social skills. They engage in exploration and establish fundamental tools necessary for academic success. Numerous studies have shown that achievement in kindergarten correlates with higher first, second and third grade test scores, college entrance scores, long-term earnings and quality of life. Conversely, children who don’t attend kindergarten are often at a tremendous disadvantage, spending years working to make up ground they lost. If the losses are not compensated for, they are often at greater risk of dropping out.”[1]

Superintendent Reykdal’s mission and priorities emphasize equitable access to a strong foundation, including developmentally appropriate opportunities for social-emotional learning. Entering kindergartners may not have had opportunities to play with peers during the pandemic. Belonging to a community that accepts each learner at their current stages of development has heightened importance in this first academic year of consistent, in-person learning.

In the first year of all children gathering in-person, kindergarten and school staff have a unique opportunity for a warm first impression for the whole family. Children and families may exhibit symptoms of anxiety or trauma, creating greater urgency for teaching skills to build hope. Schools may introduce the Hope Score to family members paired with intentionally building an environment inclusive of children of all races, ethnicities, and abilities.

Resources

Meeting Children with Empathy: Experiences of the Pandemic

• Seeing children as individuals is as essential as recognizing them as part of a collective. NAEYC’s Position Statement on Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education
• Showing empathy and taking time to actively listen to each other are healing practices.
• Swan Innovations has organized some resources to better equip schools, educators, and tribal communities to take actionable steps toward healing and cultural continuity.
• Reclaiming Indigenous Education is a full day workshop offering a “Buffet” of learning for educators.
• For ideas on healing practices, please see AESD-OSPI P-3 School Improvement Bite for (September, 2022).
• Explore the Washington Pyramid Model as part of your school’s Multi-Tiered System of Support framework, including this tool for educators and practitioners: Checklist of Early Childhood Practices that Support Social Emotional Development and Trauma-Informed Care

Family Connection

• Schedule family connection meetings with the support of interpreters—both the initial scheduling and the conference itself.
• Let the family take the lead with this conversation and listen. The point of this conversation is to get to know the family and their hopes and dreams for their children in kindergarten and beyond.
• After the family connection, keep the conversation and communication going with each family.
• Try out the Family Tools and Choice Boards to continually build this vital child and family partnership.

Creating a Culture through Hope and Healing in the Learning Community

• Gauge your schedule on the social-emotional and physical needs of 5 year-old children factoring in that your class may be the child’s first exposure to playing with peers. Consult the Social-Emotional Pathways
• Consult PreK to 3^rd Reentry: Connecting to Families for ideas to build robust family communication and partnerships.
• Build your learning environment incrementally as you get to know your children’s goals and how they manage their learning. The WaKIDS observational assessment is an ongoing, documentation of children’s emerging skills, knowledge, and learning and if used regularly, can provide invaluable data to guide what is included in learning centers for Plan, Do, and Review.

[1] Carvalho, A. and Noguera, P., Ed Source, September 13, 2022, https://edsource.org/2022/opportunity-begins-in-kindergarten/677929