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MODULE 3: What are inspiring transitional practices?

Inspiring practices have at least one thing in common: they start thinking from what children and parents express as to what they need in these transitions. In a well-balanced system, different educational phases share responsibility for streamlining children’s positive experiences during transition periods. Practices can be structured around four processes:

  ●   Pedagogical continuity: adopting a more unified child-centred approach to caring and learning (educare) across educational settings;

  ●   Continuity with the home environment and community;

  ●   Professional continuity: inter-institutional collaboration and exchange between staff of different ECEC and primary school settings;

  ●   Structural continuity: mobilising local/regional/(inter)national policy levels in tackling obstacles in establishing warm and inclusive transitions.

Below we present examples of inspiring transitional practices. ‘Inspiring’ does imply: do not copy-paste these processes and actions! Make your own story and contextualise all inspiration. So it starts with ECEC staff observing and listening with great care and respect to children and parents.

Guidelines for inspirational transitional practices

Guidelines for transitional practices

In a previous Erasmus+ START project, guidelines for good transitional practices were developed. You can consult them here to use as a basis for your transitional activities.

(Part 1/2)

START project
Guidelines for transitional practices

In a previous Erasmus+ START project, guidelines for good transitional practices were developed. You can consult them here to use as a basis for your transitional activities.

(Part 2/2)

START report

Educational continuity for all

Rethinking Educational Continuity through Participatory Action-Research and Professional Development Pathways

Warm and smooth transitions benefit all children and families. From a universal approach, the experiences in Italy is inspiring. Moreover, a movie was made in the Flemish community of Belgium on how to develop a smooth transition for all children, across the line in preschools: 
https://vimeo.com/238413154

B educational continuity

Benefiting disadvantaged families

Transitional activities benefitting families in societally disadvantaged positions

Warm transitions should be inclusive for all groups of children irrespective of their previous childcare experience, background, or socio-cultural capital. From a targeted approach, it is recommended to organise specific practices that ensure that families in societally disadvantaged positions feel that they belong as well. Hereby you can read on the experiences of a Belgian and Slovenian pilot that worked on transitions for children and families in poverty and Romani children, families and communities.

C Trans practices Romani school

Parents as indispensable partners

Partnerships between ECEC staff and parents

The basis of having warm transitions is enhancing the partnerships between ECEC and primary staff and parents. When a parent is at ease, the child will be more at ease as well and vice versa. In England and several Belgian cities they have worked on this in numerous pilots. You can consult their inspiring practices here.

D Parents as partners in trans school

Examples of teachers and childcarers

Concrete examples from two different sides of the transition

Here you will find concrete activities, points of attentions that both a childcare centre and preschool can do in a transition. Not only the preschool or primary school are important places to work on smooth transitions, also the institutions where children originate have an important role to play. The examples of a childcare coordinator and a preschool teacher need to be understood in the Belgian Context, where two-and-a-half-year-old children transition from home or childcare to preschool.

transition examples