
This list contains a variety of resources associated with getting a child ready for kindergarten.
IEL Resources
- Tip Sheets:
- Tool Kit: Kindergarten Toolkit
- Q&A: Starting Kindergarten in Illinois
- Blog: Careful Planning, Collaboration Can Aid Smooth Transition to Kindergarten
- Podcast: Diverse Families and the Transition to Kindergarten
Web Resources
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9 Ways to Get Your Child Ready for Kindergarten
Source: Understood
This resource helps parents ease their child’s transition to kindergarten with nine tips.
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Get Set 4 Kindergarten
Source: Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
This provides a month by month guide to school readiness which includes skill development, health, and reading readiness.
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Getting Ready for Kindergarten Calendar
(also in Spanish)Source: United Way of Champaign County
This calendar is filled with ideas, activities and tips for you and your child to read, talk, and play every day!
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KIDS: Every Illinois Child Ready for Kindergarten
Source: Illinois State Board of Education
This website contains information for parents and teachers about the K.I.D.S. Assessment required by the Illinois State Board of Education, as well as resources to help families prepare for kindergarten and a successful start in school.
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NAEYC for Families
Source: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
These articles provide tips for parents to prepare themselves and their child for kindergarten.
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Parents’ Reports of the School Readiness of Young Children
Source: National Household Education Surveys Program
This report presents data on the school readiness of children in the United States as reported by their parents in 2007. Topics addressed include the participation of young children in preschool or other types of center-based care or education arrangements, parental plans for kindergarten enrollment, and an assessment of what parents should do to prepare their children for kindergarten.
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Raising a School-Ready Child: A Family Guide
Source: Center on the Family at the University of Hawaii at Manoa
This guide defines a school-ready child as one that is prepared to learn successfully when beginning school. It gives examples of everyday activities parents can use to develop the traits and skills children need to be prepared to learn.
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Readiness: Not a State of Knowledge, but a State of Mind
Source: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
This article lists eight parenting practices that nurture children’s untold potential and readiness to learn.
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Ready or Not Kindergarten, Here We Come!
Source: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
NAEYC offers some tips beyond the basics of letter and number recognition or reading skills, to help you prepare your child for Kindergarten.
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Saying Goodbye to Preschool and Hello to Kindergarten
Source: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
NAEYC offers some tips to guide your child through the move from preschool to kindergarten.
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Transitioning to Kindergarten
Source: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
Starting school can be scary and exciting for both you and your child. This article lists some ideas of things you can do to prepare both you and your child for kindergarten.
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Transitioning to Kindergarten: A Toolkit for Early Childhood Educators
Source: American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
This toolkit, created by the AFT and the National Center for Learning Disabilities, includes tools and materials that will help early childhood educators implement strategies to facilitate this process and enhance children’s transition to kindergarten.
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What about Kindergarten?
(also in Spanish)Source: U.S. Department of Education
This page includes activities designed to help a child get ready for kindergarten. There are additional activities specifically to help set the child on the path to school success as the first day of school approaches.