The children's garden of today: What teachers want parents to know about their child's transition into kindergarten (2015)

Undergraduate: CrysAne McCallum

Faculty Advisor: Patrick Akos
Department: Psychology & Neuroscience

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Today¿¿¿s kindergarten classroom is structured differently from the ¿¿¿children¿¿¿s garden¿¿¿ that existed even just ten years ago. As such, a disconnect exists between what kindergarten teachers expect from families and what families are actually prepared for during this transition into kindergarten. This disconnect is exacerbated by the disparity between different children¿¿¿s level of preparedness due to varying backgrounds, experiences, and age. This investigation attends to such disparities by exploring a research-based educational practice to more effectively prepare all families during this transition into kindergarten. The practice is developed taking into account is developed utilizing the historical development of the kindergarten classroom in conjunction with surveys of Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools kindergarten teachers. The result of this research produces a brochure to be widely distributed across Chapel Hill Carrboro Schools and to the families of incoming kindergarten children across the United States. The brochure includes a set of essentials of what families should know as their child prepares and transitions into kindergarten.