This past Saturday the Transition to Kindergarten initiative hosted a Teacher's Talk on balancing academic content with developmental context. These talks, for Durham kindergarten and pre-kindergarten teachers, are meants to open the lines of communication between the two levels of educators and foster discussion around transition activities and obstacles.

This talk presented teachers with detailed information on the common core standards for kindergarteners in English language arts and mathematics as well as the early learning standards for North Carolina preschoolers. The teachers were given time for group work and discussion on aligning kindergarten standards with the preschool foundations and how this will affect transition. They were also given resources on age-appropriate approaches to learning across various domains, and ideas for transition to kindergarten activities. Activities like summer transition camp, school open houses, and playdates with future classmates can ease rising kindergarteners' anxieties about entering a new school by familiarizing them with the people and environment they'll see in the fall.

Teachers left the session with greater knowledge of the core standards and ideas for alignment that they can bring back to their schools and share with other faculty. The information shared at this talk, along with the connections formed between teachers, will help to ensure that rising kindergarteners in Durham have a smooth and successful transition.

The Transition to Kindergarten Initiative is supported through funding from the Morgan Creek Foundation and Wells Fargo Foundation, and implemented in collaboration with Durham Public Schools. Click here to learn more about this initiative.

The Partnership, in collaboration with Durham Public Schools, has selected 9 recipients of the Transition to Kindergarten mini-grants. These grants support the planning and implementation of transition activities targeted at families with children entering kindergarten this fall. The goal of these grants is to foster collaboration between elementary school and early childhood educators around transition to kindergarten.

The recipients of more than $5,000 in funding include George Watts Montessori, Bethesda Elementary School, Early Explorers Playschool, Spring Valley Elementary School, RN Harris Integrated Arts Magnet School, Fayetteville St Elementary School, Oak Grove Elementary School, Holt Elementary School, and Little River Elementary School. Each recipient is partnering with another early childhood center or elementary school to bridge the gap between these two levels of education.

The winning proposals include plans for activities such as ice cream socials, school open houses, playground picnics and kindergarten camps. These activities give families the opportunity to do things like tour their child's future school, register for kindergarten, meet school personnel, and observe kindergarten classrooms. The activities aim to engage children and their families in the kindergarten experience to build excitement while also easing their anxiety about the coming fall.

We would like to thank all of the programs who applied for funding and congratulate our grant recipients. We look forward to seeing these exciting and creative projects in action in the coming months.

Durham's Partnership for Children received funding from Wells Fargo and Morgan Creek Foundation to support rising kindergarteners through Transition mini-grants and additional Transition to Kindergarten activities. To learn more about the Transition to Kindergarten Initiative, click here.

Last Thursday evening, March 29th, Y.E. Smith Elementary School was transformed into a safari for rising kindergarteners and their families. Families were greeted by the kindergarten mascot, Dottie the mouse. They were then guided to the cafeteria where they enjoyed dinner. Their meal was set up in a manner very similar to the lunch lines the students will be encountering this fall.

Following dinner, the families were welcomed by the principal, as well as staff from Durham’s Partnership for Children and East Durham Children’s Initiative. From here, the families were split into groups based on language. The entire evening’s program was offered in both English and Spanish.

The groups visited kindergarten classrooms and the media center. In the classrooms, children had the opportunity to sit on the carpet as the teacher explained what a typical day in her class is like. The children even had a chance to try out some of the activities they’ll be doing this fall. In the media center, families were introduced to the “Read, Talk, Play” strategy for parents to help build up their children’s skills. All of the children were provided with “Blast Off to Kindergarten” kits, full of items which encourage creative and imaginative play between parents and children.

This event set out to ease children’s anxiety about kindergarten by letting them know what to expect, and to give parents an occasion to become engaged with their child’s education right from the start. Getting our children ready for kindergarten lays the foundation for future success in school and life.

The Transition to Kindergarten Initiative is supported through funding from the Morgan Creek Foundation and Wells Fargo Foundation. It is implemented in collaboration with Durham Public Schools. This event was a collaboration between Durham’s Partnership for Children, Durham Public Schools, and East Durham Children’s Initiative. 

Join us on Thursday, March 29 from 5:45-8:00 PM at Y.E. Smith Elementary School for a Kindergarten Safari. This event, for families with children entering kindergarten in August 2012, will allow families to become familiar with Y.E. Smith, the teachers, and the registration process.

Families will be provided with dinner, followed by a welcome from the principal and PTA, kindergarten classroom activities, and a workshop on the Talk, Read, Play strategy for parents to help build their child's skills. All of the activities will be available in Spanish as well as English.

Giving rising kindergarteners the opportunity to visit their future school helps to ease some of those first day anxieties about the unfamiliar territory of kindergarten. This event also gives parents a chance to get introduced to Y.E. Smith and feel excited and connected to their child's educational experience. They'll leave with new tools to help them plan and prepare for their child's successful transition into elementary school.

For the Kindergarten Safari flyer, click (English) or (Spanish)

The Transition to Kindergarten Initiative is supported through funding from the Morgan Creek Foundation and the Wells Fargo Foundation, and implemented in collaboration with Durham Public Schools.  

Another successful Lunch and Learn event on March 6 was organized through Durham's Early Childhood Faith Initiative. The topic, "The Serious Business of Play- Getting Children Ready for Success in School," had three presenters speak about how to best prepare a child for their entry into kindergarten.

Pat Harris, Program Coordinator at Durham's Partnership for Children, talked about Durham's Transition to Kindergarten Initiative. As part of this work, she is putting together "Blast Off to Kindergarten" kits that will be available at various kindergarten readiness events this season. These kits contain items that encourage creative and imaginative play, such as:

• Draw a Picture Tell a Story booklets in which children can create an image and have their parents can record the story of that image
• Emotion flash cards so children can learn to identify emotions in themselves and their classmates
• Building blocks that allow for color and shape recognition as children plan and build figures 

Helen Tharrington of Westminster Presbyterian is an experienced preschool teacher in a faith-based environment. She discussed how children enter school with a broad range of cognitive and developmental skills. THe most important thing they need to function in school and be ready to learn is social skills. If a child doesn't know how to sit and settle down for story time, it makes it extremely difficult for them to learn, regardless of whether or not they know how to write their name.

Miriam Broderson of Healthy Families Durham (a Smart Start funded program at the Center for Child and Family Health) emphasized the importance of a child having a strong foundation from their earliest years in order to prepare them for school success. Forming a secure attachment with caregivers in infancy helps put a child's social-emotional development on track. For older children, Miriam stressed the significance of keeping a regular routine. She stated that in her personal opinion, "consistent bedtimes and mealtimes eliminate 75% of all behavior issues." Having a good night's sleep and a full tummy makes it far easier for a child to focus.

Children, like all of us, have a fear of the unknown. Equipping your child with the necessary social skills, the ability to recognize and regulate their emotions, and the knowledge that they can count on you to be their base, can better prepare them to navigate through the unfamiliar situations they'll encounter at school than anything else.

The Transition to Kindergarten Initiative is supported through funding from the Morgan Creek Foundation and the Wells Fargo Foundation, and implemented in collaboration with Durham Public Schools. Click here to learn more about this initiative.

The Faith Initiative is a collaborative project between Durham's Partnership for Children and End Poverty Durham that recognizes the role that the faith community plays in providing support to families and children. Click here to learn more about this initiative.

The Partnership and Durham Public Schools hosted more than 30 pre-k and kindergarten teachers at Saturday's Teachers Talk Forum that was organized through the collaborative Transition to Kindergarten Initiative.

Teachers talk events help to 1) strengthen the role of early childhood educators in crafting successful transition activities for children and their families, and 2) support kindergarten educators as they learn and adopt ways to effectively communicate with families about the importance of kindergarten.

With so many committed educators gathered together in one space, a passion for helping our youngest learners succeed bred vibrant discussion around what children need to be ready for success in kindergarten. Here is a list of priority needs developed by the teachers:

1. Social Skills
2. Confident Parents
3. Self help skills
4. Family involvement
5. Exposure to books
6. Life experiences (exposure to diverse objects, people, places)

It is no surprise that social skills were named as the top need for children entering kindergarten, followed by self help skills. Together, teachers discussed in depth the need for parents to support and foster social skills that include sharing, conflict resolution, and taking turns. Children's independence was a hot topic as well. Kindergartners need to arrive at school equipped with self help skills such as putting on jackets, shoes, etc.

Another critical point of discussion: What challenges do children and families face when transitioning to kindergarten? Teachers highlighted the following frequent struggles:

1. Schedules, getting into routines
2. Class ratio
3. Structure and rules in the kindergarten classroom
4. Socioeconomic issues and differences with families
5. Expectations (of both teachers and parents)
6. Change and fear of the unknown
7. Who is there to help me? - Support for parents

Brining pre-k educators and kindergarten teachers together to discuss these critical elements of transition helps to smooth some of the challenges that young students and their families face, while enhancing transition strategies. Future Teachers Talk events will center on discussion and training for teachers about how the pre-k early learning standards and the K-12 standards can and do align.

The Transition to Kindergarten Initiative is supported through funding from the Morgan Creek Foundation and the Wells Fargo Foundation.

Did you know that play is one of the most important strategies for preparing children to enter kindergarten? Play fosters the development of physical and mental skills for young children, as well as invites creativity, imagination, and problem solving skills to flourish.

Think about how a child practices using language and new words when playing with a dollhouse, for example. As your child recreates what happens in her everyday life, she is using words and phrases she hears daily.  Or what about using blocks to build castle? This activity allows children to learn basic math concepts and problem solve using various shapes and sizes.

Read more in the latest issue of Steps to School, a joint publication of Durham’s Partnership for Children and Durham Public Schools, part of the collaborative Transition to Kindergarten Initiative.

Join the Partnership at our upcoming Faith Initiative Lunch and Learn, which focuses on “The Serious Business of Play—Getting Children Ready for Success in School." 
Date: Tuesday, March 6th from 11:30 am to 1 pm. 
Location: Covenant Presbyterian Church, Fellowship Hall (2620 Weaver Street, Durham). 
Please RSVP to Winnie Morgan at (919) 732-1524 or winniewmorgan@juno.com.

The Partnership, in collaboration with Durham Public Schools, is offering competitive mini-grants to support planning and implementing transition activities targeted to families with children who will be heading to kindergarten. The goal of these grants is to foster collaboration between elementary school and early childhood educators around transition to kindergarten.
 
Sample transition activities might include:

• Summer Transition Camp
• Spring/Summer Open Houses
• Creating introductions for rising kindergartners
• Build “going to kindergarten” into the pre-school curriculum
• Kindergarten Classroom Visits
• Registration Events
• Child Care/Pre-k Visits

 
The application process for these mini-grants is underway and applications must be received by Wednesday, March 19th at 5 pm.  Eligible applicants include kindergarten teachers, elementary school principals, PTAs, and child care teachers and directors. Click here to download the Transition Mini-Grant now.
 
For questions, please contact Pat Harris at 919-403-6960, Extension 224 or email pat@dpfc.net. To learn more about our Transition to Kindergarten Initiative, click here.

 
Durham’s Partnership for Children received funding from Wells Fargo and Morgan Creek Foundation to support rising kindergartners across Durham County through Transition Mini-Grants and additional Transition to Kindergarten activities.

Parents of rising kindergartners have many questions in the months leading up to the start of school, when their child will begin their journey into the public classroom.  Starting kindergarten is one of the most important transitions a young child will experience.  On top of the doubts and fears that parents may have, they are also faced with important choices.  Some of the most frequently asked questions by parents include:

How do I locate my child’s assigned school?
Go to the Durham Public School home page at www.dpsnc.net and click on the Student Map Assignment symbol and follow the directions to locate schools assigned to your address. You may also call Student Assignment at 560-2059.

What are my child’s choices for elementary school at DPS?
Attend your Neighborhood School, apply to a Year Round School, or apply to a Magnet School.

What is a Neighborhood School?
A Neighborhood School is a school that is close to your home, which usually begins in August and ends in June. Call 560-9403 if unsure which is your Neighborhood School. Registration for Neighborhood Schools begins at the school in March.

What is a Year Round School?
The Year Round School calendar begins in July and ends in June. Instead of one big summer break, students in Year Round Schools have three week breaks in September, December, and March.  There are three elementary schools in Durham (Holt, Easley, and Pearsontown) that are Year Round Schools. Every address in Durham is assigned to one of the three Year Round Schools.

What is a Magnet School?
Durham Public Schools has seven Magnet Schools, which are schools that have a special focus such as the arts or foreign languages. For example, Burton Elementary is a Geo-World Magnet that helps children learn about the world and society and Sandy Ridge Elementary is an Arts Magnet, allowing students to take art, music, dance, and performing arts or drama classes.

What resources are available to assist parents in making this decision?
DPS is hosting a Choice Fair on January 21, 2012 from 9 am to noon at Hillside High School. At the Choice Fair, parents can learn about assigned neighborhood schools, year-round schools and magnet schools in Durham and how to apply. Call 560-9403 with any questions or visit the Schools of Choice page on the DPS website.

DPS will host its final Kindergarten Welcome Session of the year on March 6, 2012 from 6 to 7:30 pm at the DPS Staff Development Center (2107 Hillandale Road).  Kindergarten Welcome Sessions cover how to register your child for kindergarten, opportunities for magnet and year-round programs in DPS, information about before and after school care, and conversations with kindergarten teachers.  Call 560-9403 to reserve a seat.

Visit the Partnership Transition to Kindergarten web page or the DPS kindergarten website with additional questions.

Check out the article printed in Tuesday's Herald-Sun from Partnership Program & Evaluation Director Kate Irish and Durham Public Schools Title I Coordinator Kate MacDonell. The article outlines why the transition into kindergarten is so critical and what informational opportunities are available to parents over the next few months to prepare families for that important transition.

Click here to read the article in full.