Those first days and weeks at preschool can be very unsettling for young children where everything is new – teachers, other children, and the preschool environment. We know early years practitioners are constantly looking for ways to ease this transition from home for preschool children and their families.
As the commencement of the preschool year is nearly upon us, we thought we would share with you how we have changed our practice of settling children into preschool and the results we have experienced.
Supporting children and families transition from home to pre-school and making those first days of preschool a success can make the start of the preschool year a truly positive event.
At Portobello Montessori School, we have children whose families originate from all corners of the globe. For many, their first language is not English, in fact, last year we had 16 different languages spoken. Mindful of this diversity, we constantly seek out new ways to work collaboratively with the children and families in our service.
The starting point for us is introducing children to the routine and environment of attending a preschool and making the transition from home to preschool.
Our aim is to make this transition as stress-free as possible for the children, their families, and the practitioners in the setting.
On reviewing the industry best practice and the theory presented, we considered several strategies. We wanted to eliminate the negative impact of this transition on children.
Transitions happen throughout life, they signify a move from one situation to another. Some are major such as starting preschool, primary school, secondary school, starting college, moving to a new house, job, etc. These mark milestones in life. However, smooth daily transitions, moving from one activity to another or to another room are significant.
To allow for this, children need stable and reliable relationships, continuity of care, and a secure base.
The key person approach nurtures secure, responsive, and respectful relationships with children, parents, and other significant adults.
Connecting with parents to create effective lines of communication encourages positive relationships and sharing of information.
At Portobello Montessori School, we took from the research that meeting the child beforehand, in the natural environment of their home was a very effective strategy for supporting the transition and making those first days in preschool a success.
It allowed the practitioner to get to know the child, establishing a relationship with them in the security of their own home. Consequently, on that all-important first day – they had a friend at preschool!
In June, we sent out a letter to the parents and guardians of our existing and new children starting in our service offering a home visit from the room leader in our Montessori school.
To our surprise, every family welcomed this opportunity. The early years practitioner scheduled meetings over the month of August to fit in with the family’s availability. She had early morning breakfasts, lunch, and teatime invitations.
The remit of the visit - get to know the children in their homes, in familiar territory to them, and establish a trusting relationship between the practitioner and the child’s families.
Parents reported the visits as a really positive first step in getting to know the practitioner and allowing the practitioner to get to know their child’s individual likes, dislikes, and needs.
The practitioner reported a very positive experience and felt very welcomed by all of the families.
The most important outcome however was on day one. It was a revelation - there were no visibly upset children or distressed parents.
The children arrived that morning to be greeted by a person who had been to their home and whom they knew to be a friend.
The scenes of crying children clinging to their parents, upset parents not wanting to leave them, and stressed practitioners trying to cope had been avoided.
Instead, we had a calm environment where children and parents were interested and happy to meet their practitioner again.
The practitioner links this seamless settling-in period to the home visits and the establishment of a relationship with the child and parents.
Since then, these visits have become a yearly set of events. We have just finished this year’s visits and the existing children were so excited for the practitioner to re-visit their homes this summer.
One child met the practitioner in the street and called her to ask, "when are you coming to my house?".
Our success in adopting this approach verifies the positive benefits outlined in the research. These visits support the transition making the first days of preschool a success for everyone – the child, the parents, and the early years practitioner.
Click here to book a consultation to speak to our Early Years & Montessori advisor, Jennifer Matteazzi, about where you are on this journey and how we can guide you to achieve your goals. Call her directly on 01 892 0031 or email jennifer.matteazzi@portobelloinstitute.com or visit the Early Years & Montessori department here.
About the Author
This blog post was written by Natasha Murphy, the Manager of Portobello Montessori School at the time of writing who researched transitions during her BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies programme.
If you are considering home visits prior to the new school year, check out these resources to learn more
Further information on research in this area is available by clicking the links below.
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), (2015). Aistear Síolta Practice Guide: Supporting Transitions [Online]. Available: http://www.aistearsiolta.ie/en/Transitions/Supporting-Transitions.pdf. Accessed: 20th August 2019.
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), (2018). Preschool to Primary School Transition Initiative Final Report [Online]. Available: https://www.ncca.ie/media/3367/transitionpreschoolprimary_reportfinalfeb.pdf. Accessed: 20th August 2019.
Longford Childcare Committee (2018). Transitions in Early Years. June 7, 2018. Available: https://longfordchildcare.ie/transitions-in-early-years/. Accessed: 20th August 2019.
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), (no date). Transition: Moving from Preschool to Primary: Suggested activities for preschools to support a positive transition to school [Online]. Available: https://www.ncca.ie/media/3755/suggested-transition-activities-for-preschools.pdf. Accessed: 20th August 2019.
Dockett, S. & Perry, B. (2014). Continuity of Learning: A resource to support effective transition to school and school age care. Canberra, ACT: Australian Government Department of Education.
Tusla - Child and Family Agency, (2018).. Quality and Regulatory Framework Sessional Pre-School Service [Online]. Available: https://www.tusla.ie/uploads/content/4569-TUSLA_QRF_SESSIONAL_LR.pdf. Accessed: 20th August 2019.
Hickey, C., O’Riordan, A., Huggins, S. and Beatty, D. (2018). National Evaluation of the Area Based Childhood Programme: Main Report. Dublin: Department of Children and Youth Affairs, The Atlantic Philanthropies, and the Centre for Effective Services.
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