Readiness Skills That Support Toddlers’ Transition Into Preschool

Abstract

On Monday evenings, Alex and his mother, Rebecca, attend an inclusive parent–child playgroup with several other families of infants and toddlers. Alex has developmental delays and receives services through the local early intervention agency. As Alex and his mother enter the facility, they encounter a row of cubbies labeled with each child’s name and a family photo. Mom points to the photo and says, “Look, there’s you and Mommy.” She helps him take off his coat and shoes and place them in the cubby. They then proceed to a table with a sign-in sheet and a question of the day. Alex’s mother considers the question and asks, “Where will you play tonight, Alex?” He replies, “Sand.” She continues the conversation by asking Alex which friends he thinks will be at playgroup. Alex pauses and then replies, “Boy.” Rebecca then asks, “You mean Carson?”

This vignette about Alex’s arrival at playgroup illustrates how his mother helped to focus his attention and remember where to store his belongings. Locating his name and photo on his cubby allowed him to practice early literacy; removing and storing his coat and shoes was an opportunity to work on self-help skills. As they moved to the sign-in table, Alex paid attention and observed his mother write their names and read the question of the day. The question asked parents to consider activities in which their children would be most likely to interact with peers and how they would promote these peer interactions. The ensuing conversation prompted Alex to use his memory and also promoted his interest in the evening’s playgroup activities.

This experience is similar to the routines that many children encounter when beginning each day in preschool settings. However, Alex is learning these routine expectations with his mother’s support as they participate in this playgroup setting. Although these arrival activities seem simple, they may overwhelm children who are transitioning into new preschool environments. Experiencing them with parental support may make them less daunting, especially for children with disabilities. Thus, activities, routines, and environments of parent–child playgroups can aid children approaching their third birthdays and transitioning to preschool settings. The parent–child playgroup sessions that Alex and his mother attend provide a setting with experiences that are likely to increase his readiness for preschool, which he will begin attending within a few months.

“activities, routines, and environments of parent–child playgroups can aid children approaching their third birthdays and transitioning to preschool settings.”

School Readiness Skills

There is increasing evidence that school readiness begins with skills that are acquired during the first three years of life (Gray, Heberle, & Carter, 2012; Lally, 2010; Parlakian, 2003; Petersen, 2012a, 2012b; Sorrels, 2012). However, these readiness skills are “far more complex than the simple memorization of a few basic facts” (Sorrels, 2012, p. 10). A more complex view of school readiness for infants and toddlers centers on two primary components. One is nurturing relationships with responsive parents or other primary caregivers (Gray et al., 2012; Lally, 2010; Parlakian, 2003; Petersen, 2012a, 2012b; Sorrels, 2012). The second component includes environments that provide opportunities for very young children to develop skills, knowledge, and attitudes or dispositions necessary for educational success (Petersen, 2012a; Sorrels, 2012). Sorrels (2012) emphasizes the importance of environments that provide play-based experiences in which children learn “to think like a scientist, develop focused attention, [and] form conceptual understandings of the world” (p. 15). In addition, Petersen (2012a, 2012b) suggests that children need multiple opportunities during infancy and toddlerhood to practice and learn the following school readiness skills: attention, curiosity, information gathering, memory, problem solving, and persistence. Definitions and the social aspects of these skills are provided in Table 1.

Table 1

Definitions and Social Aspects of Six Readiness Skills (Petersen, 2012a, 2012b)

Readiness skill	Definition	Social aspect
Attention	Regulating reactions to focus on activities, objects, or people	Young children attend to voices and regulate self to respond to adults and to calm self when worried or anxious during social interactions.
Curiosity	An inquisitive and intrinsic desire to explore and learn about people and objects in the environment	Curiosity motivates children in all developmental areas; secure attachments support children’s curiosity.
Information gathering	Observing and using senses to gain understanding of the world	At a young age, children distinguish their home language sounds by gathering information. They develop understanding of how their language connects and makes words. This learning occurs through interactions.
Memory	Retrieving stored information; reproducing actions that have been practiced	Adults discuss recent events to activate children’s memory.
Persistence	Regulating frustration to continue working on challenging tasks	Frustration can result from lack of language. Adults use these opportunities to encourage children to keep trying.
Problem solving	Encountering problems and finding solutions through trial and error	Young children often use problem-solving skills within social interactions involving specific objects.

Given the importance of these readiness skills, the purposes of this article are twofold. The first purpose is to describe the ways that toddlers can work on these readiness skills during play-based activities and routines that they are experiencing with their parents in an early intervention playgroup. The second purpose is to increase professionals’ awareness of the learning opportunities that take place so that this information can be shared with parents, especially those whose children are transitioning from early intervention to early childhood special education preschool programs. The activities and skills described are similar to learning opportunities children may experience in Early Head Start socialization groups and other types of community playgroups.

Transition to Preschool

The “organized and planned movement from one set of service provisions (early intervention) to another set of service provisions (preschool services)” is referred to as the transition process (Lillie & Vakil, 2002, p. 53). With changes in service delivery come increasing demands and expectations for children (Hanson et al., 2000; Rous, Hallam, Harbin, McCormick, & Jung, 2007). Thus, an ultimate goal of transition planning is children’s success in the next environment (Rous et al., 2007; Sweeden, 2001). As described in the school readiness literature cited earlier, toddlers’ acquisition of foundational readiness skills may increase their educational success in preschool and beyond.

Infants, toddlers, and their families who receive services under Part C of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) have Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs). One requirement of IFSPs is that there are transition plans in place before the third birthdays of children exiting birth-to-three services, whether or not they are eligible for preschool services under Part B of IDEA (2004). In spite of required transition planning in which family involvement is essential, parents of young children report that exiting Part C early intervention services is stressful and challenging (Branson & Bingham, 2009; Hadden, 2004; Hanson et al., 2000; Rous et al., 2007; Sweeden, 2001). However, helping children acquire skills needed in the next environment may decrease some of the stress experienced by children and families and more quickly facilitate children’s adjustment. Moreover, smooth adjustment to preschool can increase children’s developmental progress and active engagement with adults, peers, and materials in the new environment (Branson & Bingham, 2009; Lillie & Vakil, 2002; Rous et al., 2007).

Playgroup Environment

In addition to the transition component of the IFSP, Part C of IDEA (2004) requires that services be provided in natural environments. However, “the natural environment requirement does not just relate to where services are provided but focuses on promoting a child’s active participation in the activities and routines” (Campbell, 2004, p. 21). Thus, for parents who choose to attend, parent–child playgroups are an example of a natural environment in which toddlers can actively participate in learning opportunities with support from their parents or other primary caregivers.

In addition to natural environments, early intervention services should be implemented using effective, evidence-based practices. The Parents Interacting With Infants (PIWI) intervention model is an example of a research-based framework that emphasizes parent–child interactions in natural learning environments, including playgroups and home visits. In this model, the term parent is defined broadly as “any primary caregiver with whom the child may form a long-term attachment relationship” (McCollum, Gooler, Appl, & Yates, 2001, p. 37), and the early interventionist functions as a facilitator of parent–child play and interaction (Hughes, Shaffer, & Zaghlawan, 2008). There are three primary desired outcomes for parents and children: competence, confidence, and mutual enjoyment (McCollum, Gooler, et al., 2001; McCollum, Yates, Gooler, & Bruns, 2001; Yates, 2011). These outcomes are addressed in a play-based environment in which children interact with their parents during the planned activities and routines, and the playgroup facilitators use triadic strategies to support the dyadic interactions between parent and child (McCollum & Yates, 1994). The following vignette illustrates a parent–child interaction in which the playgroup facilitator uses the triadic strategy of “affirm parent competence” to encourage Rebecca as she and Alex play with blocks.

Rebecca encourages Alex to make a tower saying, “You are stacking the blocks. One, two, three, four, five, six!” After building a tower, Alex takes Mom’s hand and pulls, saying “up.” She responds, “You want to go play somewhere else?” The playgroup facilitator comments on how Rebecca modeled counting for Alex and how she was responsive to his cue when he was no longer interested in the activity.

In addition to triadic strategies, another important component of the PIWI intervention model is the developmental observation topic (DOT). It is written from the child’s perspective (e.g., how I explore my environment) and used by playgroup facilitators during opening discussions to draw parents’ attention to the particular aspect of development that is the focus for the particular playgroup session (McCollum, Yates, et al., 2001). This discussion provides a context for the parents to observe and support their children’s development as they use the planned materials and play activities to interact with their children. Triadic strategies and DOTs are two of the eight components of the PIWI intervention model. Resources that provide further explanation about the model, its components, and its use in personnel preparation are listed in the appendix.

“The playgroup format provides multiple opportunities for children to participate in natural learning opportunities that may ease their transition into preschool.”

We use the PIWI intervention model as the foundation of our playgroup by focusing on parent–child interactions and following the PIWI philosophy and guidelines (see McCollum, Yates, Laumann, & Hsieh, 2007). However, we refer to our playgroup as PIWI-Inspired because we have made some minor adaptations to the playgroup schedule, and the playgroup facilitators are undergraduate students who are preparing to be early intervention service providers. Our playgroup serves as an early intervention field placement with coordination and supervision provided by a university faculty member who is trained in the PIWI intervention model. In their role as playgroup facilitators, students work as a team to plan, implement, and evaluate each playgroup session in collaboration with the families.

The playgroup format provides multiple opportunities for children to participate in natural learning opportunities that may ease their transition into preschool. Although the primary purpose of our playgroup is to support parent–child interactions rather than prepare children for preschool, there are many built-in aspects that promote school readiness. Moreover, upon parent request, specific activities can be planned and implemented to help children who are approaching their third birthdays and transitioning to preschool environments.

Bruder and Dunst (2000) suggest that learning opportunities are most effective when parents select learning environments that are meaningful for their families and then identify the learning opportunities within the setting. Therefore, during the initial playgroup session, it can be helpful to survey the parents about their goals for their children.

Alex’s mother selected the PIWI-Inspired Playgroup from several playgroup options in the community because it was offered in the evening and provided opportunities for Alex to play with peers. When the playgroup facilitators asked about her goals for Alex at playgroup, she said that learning to interact with peers was most important. She added that, due to his developmental delays, she was concerned about his skills in all areas of development, but especially his communication and social development. She mentioned that she worried about his adjustment to preschool, especially his ability to participate in group activities.

Because learning opportunities are most effective and meaningful when based on children’s interests (Dunst, Bruder, Trivette, Raab, & McLean, 2001; Sorrels, 2012), Rebecca also was asked about Alex’s interests. The playgroup facilitators then used this information to plan specific learning opportunities. For example, Rebecca indicated that Alex frequently played with cars and trucks; therefore, the playgroup facilitators often placed cars and trucks in the sand table. In addition, they planned specific activities involving preferred toys that promoted development of targeted skills. Painting with cars and trucks to create a group mural encouraged peer interactions and addressed readiness skills, such as attention, curiosity, and persistence. Rolling vehicles down ramps or through tubes also promoted attention, curiosity, persistence, and problem solving. Alex’s interests were intentionally used to draw him to activities where he was likely to interact with peers, thereby providing a natural context for working on the readiness skills needed for his transition to preschool.

“There are many aspects of playgroup environments and routines that help children when they transition into preschool settings.”

Readiness Learning Opportunities Within Playgroup Routines

There are many aspects of playgroup environments and routines that help children when they transition into preschool settings. For example, our PIWI-Inspired playgroup setting has designated areas similar to those found in a preschool classroom, including housekeeping, art, sensory, gross motor, and quiet areas; literacy activities are integrated throughout the environment. The sessions are based on the following general schedule of routines: greeting and opening discussion, parent–child play, snack and closing discussion, and group time with stories and songs.

Greeting and Opening Discussion

The playgroup opening routine serves multiple purposes, one of which is to help families feel comfortable and excited about the time they will spend together. A hello song is used as a cue to gain everyone’s attention and to signal that the opening discussion is about to begin.

As families enter the playgroup environment, there are multiple connecting rooms. The first room is sectioned off from the others for the opening discussion, and there are toys and activities to engage the children. Alex heads to the sensory table where several children are moving cars and trucks through the sand. His mother sits nearby and talks with other parents. When all the families have arrived, the facilitators encourage everyone to gather in a circle for the opening discussion. The group then sings a hello song using everyone’s names. Alex looks up and smiles when his name is sung.

This example illustrates how Alex gained conceptual understanding of the opening routine at playgroup. He gathered information about the available toys and activities, made a choice, and focused his attention on his play in the sand. He demonstrated his memory skills by recognizing his name in the hello song. In addition to these particular readiness skills, this opening routine can help prepare children for the “morning meeting” that often starts the day and precedes play or center time in many preschool programs. For example, when children point to or request play areas that are temporarily “closed” during the playgroup opening discussion, playgroup facilitators say, “First we talk, then we play.” This practice may help children learn to self-regulate by waiting a brief time before they play in those areas. Playgroup parents with children transitioning to preschool often request group activities, and the greeting and opening discussion routine is one way to address this request in a developmentally appropriate way.

After singing the hello song, the children continue to play near their parents, and a playgroup facilitator begins the discussion with the following explanation.

Last week some of you mentioned that the children seemed to spend a lot of time at the same activities. So our developmental topic for today is “How I interact with novel versus familiar objects and activities.” We specifically planned this week’s session to see how the children will react to and explore some new toys and novel activities. We wonder if you think your children will be more likely to explore novel or familiar objects and activities?

Rebecca replies that Alex will probably be more interested in activities that are familiar to him, but she will encourage him to try new ones. The playgroup facilitator responds by smiling and pointing out that Alex is engaged in play at the sand table with cars and trucks, but he is looking through a magnifying glass, which is a novel toy that has not been previously used at playgroup. Rebecca laughs and indicates that this really surprises her.

In this example, Alex demonstrated curiosity, information gathering, and persistence. These characteristics indicate that he may be thinking like a little scientist, which Sorrels (2012) sees as a critical disposition related to school readiness. Moreover, when Alex and the other children in the playgroup demonstrate their readiness skills, the playgroup facilitator can use these natural opportunities to focus the parents’ attention on these skills and provide information about how to facilitate and reinforce them.

Parent–Child Play

After the brief opening discussion during which the DOT is discussed and the play activities are described, the group transitions to parent–child play. Activities, materials, and space have been intentionally planned to enable parents to observe their children using novel versus familiar toys, materials, and activities. For example, containers of water have been added to the sand in the sensory table to change the consistency while the water sensory table remains the same. In other areas of the environment, toys not previously used are provided, as the following vignette illustrates.

Alex approaches a toy that Carson is exploring and begins to pull the toy away from him. Rebecca says, “Look, you can share” and gives each boy a ball. She then suggests that they take turns putting them down the circular ramp. She also labels the colors of the balls, saying, “Carson, yours is red and Alex’s is orange.” A facilitator says to Rebecca, “I think this is the first time the children have seen this toy. It’s great how you are encouraging them to take turns and also helping them identify colors.”

Alex’s mother supported him as he explored a novel toy about which he seemed curious. She also promoted his social skills by encouraging turn-taking with a peer. During the interaction, she maintained his attention to the toy and helped him recognize and remember colors. He gained conceptual understanding of how the ball inserted in one place rolled down the ramp and ended up on the floor. He shared the toy with a peer, and as the play continued, he used problem-solving skills to figure out which sizes of balls would correctly fit and roll down the ramp.

As the parent–child play portion of the playgroup draws to an end, a facilitator announces that snack is almost ready and it is time to finish playing, wash hands, and come to the snack table. As in preschool settings, children have opportunities to develop and use a variety of readiness skills as they learn to transition from one routine to another routine.

Alex is in the dramatic play area with his mother. The playgroup facilitators have placed playdough in the area to add a novel element. Alex puts a muffin pan filled with balls of playdough into the oven and turns the knobs. Rebecca asks, “How long will you bake them?” He says, “Five minutes.” After hearing that snack will soon be served, she says, “Are your muffins done? You need to take them out and let them cool. I wonder if we will have muffins for snack?” Alex takes the muffin tray out of the oven, and then goes to the sink to wash his hands. He proceeds to the snack table and chooses a seat next to Carson.

This vignette illustrates how Rebecca facilitated Alex’s pretend play, encouraged him to pay attention and gather information to understand concepts such as time and temperature. She helped him to self-regulate by preparing him to end one activity and move to the next one. Alex also seemed to remember the sequence of the routine because he washed his hands before going to the snack table. When he got to the table, he purposely selected a chair next to his friend, providing an indication of increased social skills.

Snack and Closing Discussion

In a preschool setting, snack is one of the typical routines, and it provides numerous opportunities for teachers to support children’s development and readiness skills. Snack serves this same function in a playgroup setting. As children enjoy their snacks, parents participate in a closing discussion that provides opportunities for them to share their observations and questions in a supportive environment.

Rebecca assists Alex in using tongs to get his snack. The children are offered different types of fruit. This provides parents with the opportunity to observe the children’s interests in familiar versus novel fruit. As the children eat their snacks, parents discuss their observations about their children’s play with familiar and novel toys and materials. A facilitator asks Rebecca about her observations of Alex. She replies that, “He initially played with cars, which he does every week. After that, he watched children who were doing the art activity, which was new to him. He showed interest and we tried it together. So it seemed like he explored both familiar and new activities.”

Rebecca provided Alex with support during snack time as she shared her observations about his play with both novel and familiar toys and activities. Alex engaged in familiar activities and selected familiar snacks, but he also demonstrated the readiness skills of curiosity and information gathering by trying new activities (art) and food (papaya).

Transitions within daily routines are challenging for many children. During this transition from play to snack, Alex was able to self-regulate as he stopped playing and prepared for snack. He also practiced a self-help skill of serving himself food before eating. These are common expectations in preschool and, with his mother’s support, Alex was acquiring the readiness skills to meet these expectations. These experiences are likely to help him with the major transition of moving from playgroup to preschool.

Group Time With Stories and Songs

At the end of each playgroup session, there is a short group time that is similar to what children might encounter in a preschool program. Group time with stories and songs provides numerous opportunities for learning and for increasing readiness skills, such as attention, information gathering, and memory. The routine transition from snack to group time also is another opportunity for children to self-regulate as they move from one activity to another.

As the children finish their snacks, families gather in the area where the opening discussion had taken place. A facilitator begins by explaining that with today’s focus on novel versus familiar, there is a new activity to accompany the Old MacDonald song. “Each child and parent will get an animal cut-out. As we sing about each animal, parents can help their children identify the animals and place them on the flannel board.” When Alex is handed a cow, he looks at it and gives it to his mother. When the group sings about the cow, Rebecca prompts Alex to put the cow on the board, but he does not do so. She models how to do it by placing it on the flannel board. During the next playgroup session when the Old MacDonald flannel board activity is implemented, Alex watches his peers placing animals on the flannel board. When it is his turn, he is still somewhat reluctant, so his mother holds his hand and they jointly place the animal on the flannel board. With each succeeding week, less support is needed as Alex’s independent participation increases.

Although Alex initially seemed to remember the song, he appeared uncertain about the animals and the flannel board. However, over time and with scaffolding from his mother, he increased his attention, gained conceptual understanding of the connection of the animals to the words of the song, solved the problem of when and where to place the animal, and self-regulated as he waited for a turn.

There are numerous ways to extend children’s participation and engagement while also providing opportunities for children to practice readiness skills. Another example during group time is illustrated in the following vignette.

After the Old MacDonald activity, the facilitator says there is time to sing a few favorite songs before the goodbye song. To assist the children in choosing, she displays cards with images and names of the songs. The facilitator picks Alex, and he chooses a card. The facilitator responds, “You want to sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star?” Alex shakes his head to indicate yes.

Although Alex could not verbalize the name of the song, he remembered a song from previous sessions and selected it from the cards, which provided a way for him to gain information about the songs and learn to make choices. The song cards with words and images were also a way to address early language and literacy skills.

After singing three songs, the facilitator says that it is time for the goodbye song. Children smile when they hear their names sung. When finished, a facilitator blows bubbles to lead the children to the cubby area. Alex laughs and reaches to pop bubbles. Once all the bubbles are popped, Alex and his mother walk to their cubby to get their belongings.

As with the transition at the end of the day in preschool, the end of playgroup can be challenging and stressful for children, particularly those with delays or disabilities. However, as illustrated in the previous vignette, the familiar routine of the goodbye song and bubbles helped the children learn to self-regulate and increased the probability that their transition to preschool would be less stressful.

These vignettes about Rebecca and Alex have provided only one example of a DOT, and the materials and activities planned for a single playgroup session. However, there are numerous DOTs that can serve to focus playgroup sessions, and a variety of materials and activities that can be used to address readiness skills within the playgroup routines. Some examples of these are provided in Table 2.

Table 2

DOTs and Readiness Skills (Petersen, 2012a, 2012b)

DOTs	Examples of materials and activities	Possible readiness skills addressed
How I use my parent/caregiver as a secure base (attachment)	Hand-print art activity Tunnel	Attention and information gathering Curiosity, information gathering, persistence
How I show my independence (making choices)	Water table and wheel Shape sorters	Information gathering and problem solving Attention, persistence, and problem solving
How I communicate with others	Cars with road map Washing “dirty” babies and dishes	Attention and persistence Attention, curiosity, information gathering, problem solving
How I learn to express my emotions	Mirrors Finger painting	Attention and curiosity Information gathering
How I learn to interact with peers	Obstacle course Playdough in housekeeping area	Attention, curiosity, problem solving Curiosity, memory, problem solving
How I learn through my senses	Texture balls Musical instruments	Curiosity and information gathering Attention, curiosity, information gathering
How I explore my environment through container play	Golf ball container art Grocery store	Curiosity and information gathering Attention, memory, persistence
How I show my understanding of cause and effect	Push and pull toys Bowling	Attention, curiosity, information gathering Attention, persistence
How my parent/caregiver supports my problem-solving skills	Contact paper collage Pop beads	Attention, curiosity, persistence Information gathering, problem solving

Note. DOTs = Developmental Observation Topics.

Additional Ways to Prepare for Transition to Preschool

Participation in the various playgroup routines and activities can help families and children with the transition to preschool. However, there are additional ways that supports can be provided. One strategy is to encourage families to invite their early intervention service providers to a playgroup session. As delineated in the following vignette, this enables the service providers to observe children in a group setting, which may help in identifying and sharing expectations about the skills needed for success in the next environment (Rous et al., 2007).

When Alex’s service provider attended a playgroup session, he explained to Rebecca aspects of the environment that would be similar to a preschool setting. He suggested ways she could encourage him to join activities with peers. Later, with Rebecca’s permission, he shared his observations of Alex’s strengths and interests with the transition team, thereby paving the way for Alex’s entry into the preschool program.

In addition to support for families of children receiving early intervention services, information can be provided for all families of children who are no longer age-eligible for playgroup. Informational flyers about local preschool programs can be distributed and families can be encouraged to visit the programs. Parents can talk with their children about the upcoming changes. For example, we provide parents with an annotated list of children’s books on transition topics to help them facilitate these conversations.

Asking parents about developmental information they would like to have is another effective strategy. In particular, parents often request information on issues that are related to successful transition into preschool, such as potty training, speech development, aggression, and separation anxiety. Sharing information through print materials (e.g., resource handouts) can be an effective way to provide this content, as outlined in the following vignette.

During a playgroup session, Rebecca was asked about her concerns. She said, “I want to know more information about how to prevent Alex’s aggression towards his sister who is only a few months old. I don’t want this to interfere with their relationship or how he interacts with other children.” A facilitator reviewed the evidence-based literature and prepared a resource handout. During the next playgroup session, she gave Rebecca the resource handout and they talked about how to implement some of the strategies for responding to aggression. Rebecca tried it at home, and at the next playgroup session, she was excited to report that she was able to change the way she reacted to Alex’s aggression, and Alex seemed to be less aggressive with his sister. She said the written handout was helpful because she shared it with her husband and he also tried the strategies.

“For families with toddlers approaching their third birthdays, parent–child playgroups provide opportunities to support children’s school readiness skills and to prepare both children and parents for changes they are likely to encounter during the transition to preschool.”

Preparing individual parent–child portfolios, sharing artifacts on a regular basis, and presenting the final portfolio to parents as a keepsake during the final playgroup session is another way to provide parents with information. Portfolio artifacts illustrate parent–child interactions related to the PIWI key outcomes and children’s progress on the goals identified by parents during the first playgroup session. For children transitioning to preschool, progress on their readiness skills can be emphasized. For families of children receiving early intervention services, DVDs of their playgroup participation can also be included so that parents can share these with professionals in the children’s future preschool programs. Additional information and details about parent–child portfolios are provided in Appl, Leavitt, and Ryan (2014).

In addition to providing parents with information about their toddlers’ readiness skills, sharing information about the transition process can be helpful to parents. Hadden (2004) describes three phases of this process (information sharing, planning, follow-up), and she emphasizes that families should be involved across all the phases to the extent that they are comfortable. This makes interagency collaboration a necessity (Rous et al., 2007). The student facilitators of our PIWI-Inspired Playgroup collaborate with the local Part C early intervention agency and Part B early childhood special education preschool program to provide continuity across service delivery systems (Branson & Bingham, 2009), and to increase the likelihood of successful transitions. Although our student facilitators do not directly serve on transition teams in the community, they do indirectly contribute by offering information and support to families during the planning phase, which enables parents to be “informed consumers in the process” (Hanson et al., 2000, p. 291). For example, an informational handout about transition and the IDEA requirements, and a list of parent-friendly websites about the transition process are provided to parents who attend playgroup. As Lillie and Vakil (2002) state, “A clear understanding of the requirements of the law and the use of developmentally appropriate practices in implementing effective transition will benefit all concerned, including schools, families, early intervention providers, and, of course, the student” (p. 57).

Summary

For families with toddlers approaching their third birthdays, parent–child playgroups provide opportunities to support children’s school readiness skills and to prepare both children and parents for changes they are likely to encounter during the transition to preschool. However, all transitions are unique; they depend on families’ needs and resources, and must be carefully planned and individualized (Rous et al., 2007).

In this article, we described our PIWI-Inspired Playgroup as a way to provide individualized learning opportunities during various playgroup routines that may be similar to those children encounter in preschool. Many of these ideas can be implemented in other settings, such as Early Head Start socialization groups, community playgroups, and families’ homes. The key factor is that parents are able to provide the amount of support their children need, and professionals are available to modify or adapt activities and the environment to address individual differences. Because families are part of these activities, they learn with their children and gain an understanding of the readiness skills that may be needed in preschool (Rous et al., 2007). This leads to “the final reward of a positive transition [which] is success for the child and a sense of support for his or her family” (Sweeden, 2001, p. 14). Families of 3-year-olds exiting our playgroups have indicated that they felt more competent and confident about navigating the transition to preschool. This increased sense of competence and confidence occurred within mutually enjoyable parent–child interactions, all of which are desired outcomes of the PIWI intervention model.

Footnotes

Appendix

Notes

References

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