How Childcare Supports the Transition to School

How Childcare Supports the Transition to School

Childcare with a play-based learning curriculum can support a child’s transition to school. The success or failure of the changeover from childcare to Kindy can have lasting effects on a child’s academic and occupational success.

Choosing childcare that familiarises children with expectations and social norms can be the key to setting the stage for learning once they enter school. Daycare settings that focus on the developmental needs of children are the best choices for achieving smooth passage.

Why are transitions important for children?

Children do best when they have expectations that include daily routines. Predictable schedules help children develop confidence and feel secure in their environment. Any changes can raise cortisol levels, pushing them into a state of anxiety. Children who are anxious cannot focus on learning.

Moving from daycare to school can feel scary for children. Talking to them about the transition, while providing them with a taste of what their new routines and expectations will be, can help. Here are some of the ways daycares can better position children for success.

Encouraging social-emotional competence

Encouraging social-emotional competence is one of the most essential building blocks of a child’s early education. Academics are important, but play-based learning teaches children the soft skills they’ll need to get along with their peers throughout their school careers.

Daycares with play-based learning curriculums encourage children to interact with people, objects, and their environments. They provide resources that reflect a child’s age, abilities, knowledge, and strengths to help them grow emotionally and socially.

Children must learn to cooperate, communicate, and share with their peers. These crucial skills help make transitioning to Kindy easier.

Providing continuity between programs

Using an Early Years Learning Framework, Creative Childcare mimics the same kind of educational model children can expect to encounter in school. The framework was designed by early childhood educators on the knowledge that play-based learning is critical to the social and emotional development of children.

Daycares that closely align their programming to mirror the skills and environment children experience in Kindy provide continuity. When transitions aren’t managed well, it can create a sort of culture shock for children. They may then struggle to adapt to their new surroundings, which makes learning difficult.

Offering school readiness programs

Some daycares are unstructured, providing adult supervision while allowing children to freely explore and entertain themselves. Kindy can be a shock to children that have transitioned from these kinds of daycare programs.

Creative Childcare runs a school readiness program within the preschool room focused on preparing children for their transition to primary school. It lays the emotional and social foundations children need to thrive in school.

Age-appropriate methods like group time, collaborative projects with peers, and self-help activities blend the right mix of independence with rule-following. Our school readiness directors work closely with local primary schools to ensure our early school curriculum aligns with their best practices.

Setting your child up for Kindy success

Creative Childcare offers child-led and open-ended play opportunities designed to build confidence and independence. By the time children leave our daycare, they are well prepared for success in primary school.

Contact us to book a tour at any of our locations or to enrol your child.