Table of Project Stories Project Story 1: Promising practices are interrelated 56 Project Story 2: Engaging with an ecological approach 57 Project Story 3: Building relationships 59 Project Story 4: Understanding the communities' needs 60 Project Story 5: Developing understandings of Indigenous communities 61 Project Story 6: Reflecting on transition practices rationale 63 Project Story 7: Evaluating transition practices 63 Project Story 8: Sustaining responsive transition practices 65 List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ARM Action Research Meeting CALD Culturally and Linguistically Diverse CEIEC The Centre for Equity and Innovation in Early Childhood DEECD Department of Education and Early Childhood Development KEFO Koorie Educational Field Officers MACS Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Services Transition Initiative Transition: A Positive Start to School initiative Transition Statement Transition Learning and Development Statement VEYLDF Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework Definitions Kindergarten The year prior to compulsory school in Victoria, Australia (can also be referred to as preschool). Prep The first year of compulsory school in Victoria, Australia. Services Ancillary health and psychological services including child and maternal health professionals, speech pathologists,
Activities introduced during projects Buddy training program (buddy contract, buddy behaviour grid and goals developed). Earlier introduction of buddies to Prep – during transition program. Photos of buddies and letters sent to Preps over summer. Flyer about buddy program sent to parents. Social storybook about buddies sent to preschool. Work with current Preps and their buddies to make a book about school for preschool children. Preschool educator asked children about their knowledge of school. Preschool children had discussions, drawings compiled into a book, and dramatic play about school. School surveyed parents. Grade 4s discussed and wrote about the roles and responsibilities of being a buddy. Preschool children consulted about their knowledge of school. School produced a buddies’ big book and sent it out to local preschools. No buddy program.
Table 4: Overview of reciprocal visits at five sites Site Knoxfield site Clayton site Cranbourne site Yarrawonga site Kensington site Site structure One preschool and one primary school (however no children feeding from this preschool to the school) One early childhood setting (LDC) and one primary school One primary school One primary campus and one early childhood setting (preschool and LDC) One early childhood setting (LDC) and one primary school practices related to reciprocal visits No reciprocal visits for educators. One-way visits to the school by a transition group. No reciprocal visits for educators. Liaison between settings. Offers of shared professional development. Reciprocal visits for children. Some Transition Statements. Parent information nights. No reciprocal visits for educators. Transition program available at the school and advertised at the local preschools. No reciprocal visits for educators. Early year’s group consisting of school leadership and early year’s educators, and early childhood educators met once per term to talk about administrative and organisational issues related to transition. Formal transition timetable. Weekly visits to preschool by including testing for children ‘at risk’. No reciprocal visits for educators. Transition program including reciprocal visits for children, buddy program, transition days, etc. Activities introduced during Discussed and planned possibilities for educators and students to make Established regular visits between educators. Tried to establish relationships with local early childhood settings with limited Organised release time for prep educators to visit Established continual communications between prep and preschool educators principal
project. reciprocal visits as part of transition program for the following year with a focus on inclusion. Pre-school group visited the school with their educator. Provision of a transition program for children at the school outside of preschool session times. Meeting children in both settings. ‘Hand over’ of Transition Statements. Newly designed Buddy Program. Resource sharing. success. Began a relationship outside of the scope of the project with one preschool. Gained support for the idea of reciprocal visits within the school community and with individuals in an early childhood setting. Re-evaluated what the school was offering early childhood settings as an incentive to begin a relationship. Planned for reciprocal visits in the period. preschool. Created expectations that prep and preschool educators organise meetings rather than relying on management or leadership. Communicating with and informing relevant individuals, committees and settings about the reciprocal visits. Creating a one-page document about reciprocal visits. Promoting and celebrating the program in the school and through local media to sustain growth of program. through meetings, visits, phone and internet contact. Prep and preschool educators visited each other’s classrooms to view the program and to meet prospective students or catch up with children who had transitioned to school. Planning to extend transition processes and discussion with relevant stakeholders about this. Changes to processes such as hand-over of Transition Statements and forming class groups.
Table 5: Family involvement Site Malvern site Yappera site Sunbury site Carlton site Port Phillip site Geelong site Site structure One pre-school setting and one primary school One support service and one primary school One pre-school setting and one primary school Central Carlton Children’s Centre and Carlton Primary One pre-school setting and one specialist primary school One regional network and one pre-school setting and one primary school Pre-existing practices to support family involvement Limited visits by families to each setting. Advertising school open days at kindergarten. Discussions with parents and children at kindergarten. Parent information sessions to share transition information. ‘Meet my teacher’ Pre-existing family involvement strategies in place but not specified in the data. Open door policy. Acknowledgement of parents as the first and most important teachers of children. Parent involvement in the classroom and in committees. Kindergarten newsletters with transition information. School readiness information session. Hand-outs for kindergarten parents with a list of suggestions about what to ask the school to help them choose a school. Family interviews to discuss each child’s readiness for school. Specialist School social worker talking to Early Education Parents in a group, followed by individual interviews to discuss schooling options. A weekly dance session at the school for preschool children. Morning tea for newly enrolled families during Parent information nights (combined schools and kindergartens). Kindergartens encouraged parents to visit schools in the area.