HEAD START®

Planning for Transitions

Training Guides for the Head Start Learning Community

Table of Contents | Preface | Introduction | Module 1 | Module 2 | Module 3 | Module 4
| Continuing Professional Development | Informational Resources Section

MODULE 1: Getting on Track with Transition Planning

Outcomes | Key Concepts | Background Information | Activity 1 | Activity 2 | Activity 3 | Next Steps
Download these pdf attachments: Handout 1 | Handout 2 | Handout 3 | Handout 4 | Handout 5 | Handout 6 | Handout 7 | Handout 8

As a result of completing this module, participants will be able to:

• Determine comprehensive goals for transition planning

• Use the transition planning framework to assess current planning efforts and implement effective practices

• Identify potential key partners and develop strategies for involving them in the planning process

Key Concepts

• Comprehensive transition goals address the strengths and needs of children, families, programs, and communities. Establishing goals helps participants define destination points and gives direction to transition planning.

• The transition planning framework consists of five stages which occur in a continuous cycle: assess current practices, set goals, define action steps, implement action steps, and review progress. The framework supports the implementation of effective transition practices.

• Planning teams that work together to identify the differences between their current and their desired transition practices can develop strategies to institutionalize effective practices and reach their goals.

• Many individuals contribute to the success of transition planning. These key partners may become involved as core planning team members or as implementors of the plan. They also provide occasional support as advisors to the team or advocates for change.

Background Information

When people are asked about transition planning for children, many think about a time in the spring when parents complete forms and children meet the new teacher. Spring registration or orientation is well established in many programs and schools. However, all too often it is the only transition practice in place.

The process of registering children and families does little to prepare them for the program or to prepare the program for them. Children may not be ready to leave their current setting; new teachers have little information about the interests and strengths of the family; and families are unsure of their new roles. Without transition planning and systems, it is difficult for staff to be aware of the individual experiences of children and families and to create continuity that supports their growth. With a transition plan, parents, staff, and other caregivers can establish systems that link the home, school, and community and provide a web of support for all children.

Meet Maria and Marcus

In this module, two children who are about to transition are introduced. Maria has been receiving home-based services for a year. These services have focused on enhancing Maria's ability to communicate, which has been slow to develop due to her frequent ear infections. Maria lives with her mother, grandparents, and an older brother, who is now in kindergarten and who also participated in a Head Start program. While Maria's mother works at night, Maria is cared for by her grandparents, who speak Spanish.

Marcus is a young toddler who has been cared for solely by his parents. Marcus has little experience around other adults or children. As a result, he is very reluctant to explore new things without his parents nearby.

Benefits for Children

While Maria and Marcus have had very different early childhood experiences, both could benefit from transition planning. For Maria, a home visitor can familiarize Maria's new teachers with Maria's health concerns. For Marcus, planning can facilitate the creation of communication lines that allow his parents and teachers to share their observations as Marcus begins his first experience outside of the home.

When transitions are planned, children of all ages have fewer difficulties adjusting and continuing ongoing developmental progress. Because of planning, they have been prepared for changes, they receive support that builds on their individual strengths and needs, and they enter programs that are sensitive to their culture, language, and experiences. Not only do the children benefit from this planning, but families, programs, and communities benefit as well.

Benefits for Families

By planning for transitions, programs also assist families in fulfilling their role as the child's primary caregiver and advocate. When families are involved in transition planning, parents and other family members understand how to share information and support the child in the new setting. As a result, families are more likely to receive services that address their particular needs. Families also assist program staff in building connections to their children's culture, language, and previous experiences, creating even more continuity.

Benefits for Programs

When program staff plan for transitions, they have fewer problems to address and more strategies to use for resolving issues that do arise when children enter or leave their programs. Because these programs already have systems in place and have developed relationships with other service providers, they are better prepared for both anticipated and sudden transitions. Through planning, staff can reduce the duplication of efforts that can occur within programs and create additional supports to meet family and child needs.

Benefits for Communities

Interagency planning teams consist of partners from various programs and organizations who come together to plan transitions. Through the planning process, the community benefits because the team identifies community resources and gaps in services; collaborates to create new systems to meet the needs of children and families; and engages policymakers and the broader public in addressing community-wide transition issues.

Building a Team

Transition planning requires the participation of many key partners: family members, program staff, and representatives from community agencies. A few members of this broad group of stakeholders make up a core planning team that leads planning efforts. Other key partners may contribute to planning in various roles. Some will support efforts by joining the team as planners in the early stages of development. Others may share previous experiences to serve as advisors to the team. Some key partners will be the implementors of the plan and share their observations with the team about how the plan is working. As transition procedures become established, some partners may act as reviewers in order to provide feedback about the process. Still other key partners will participate by becoming advocates for policy changes. When planners involve potential partners from all areas of their program and community, they are more likely to have the support necessary to achieve transition goals and facilitate continuity for each child in transition.

Transition Planning Framework

A tool that can help guide the core planning team and other partners as they begin their planning efforts is the transition planning framework (see Handout 2: Transition Planning Framework in Module 1). This framework can be used by staff from the previous setting (senders) and staff from the new setting (receivers) to coordinate planning efforts. There are five stages in the framework: assess current practices, set goals, define action steps, implement action steps, and review progress. The framework, which consists of a continuous cycle of planning, refining, and preparing for the next set of transitions, supports the development and implementation of effective transition practices throughout the year.

Effective Practices

Effective practices that planning teams can use to improve transitions for children and families include the following:

• Hold periodic joint training for early childhood and school staff
• Establish informal mechanisms for parents to share information
• Develop systems for records transfer between programs
• Involve parents in the process of record review and transfer
• Coordinate planning of major events, such as health fairs
• Create buddy systems for children and families in transition
• Provide opportunities for networking among program staff
• Share resources such as facilities, vehicles, and classroom supplies

By jointly developing effective practices, teams can reduce duplication of efforts. Teams can also help improve overall services to children and families. For example, children such as Maria and Marcus will adapt more quickly when all staff know that Maria speaks Spanish at home and that Marcus has not had much contact with adults besides his parents. Planning team members throughout the community will find they can better meet the needs of individual families and children by working together, rather than separately. They will see how the benefits of transition planning outweigh the difficulties of initiating joint planning efforts.

For more information about effective practices, consult Effective Transition Practices: Facilitating Continuity, the transition foundation guide in the Training Guides for the Head Start Learning Community series.

Crossroads

At the end of each workshop and coaching activity in this document, participants reach a Crossroads. There they are asked to decide how they will extend the training experience using the activity's information and resources. The trainer asks participants to organize their materials in a Planning Folder and record their ideas on their Personal Planning Log. To prepare for the Crossroads, refer to Trainer/Coach Preparation Notes on page 4 of the Introduction.

Activity 1-1: Setting the Course

Purpose: In this activity, participants will gain an understanding of the factors affecting transition and the need to set clear directions for planning.

Materials:
Handout 1
Digest: Benefits of Transition Planning (Informational Resources)
Planning Folder, Personal Planning Log (Introduction)
Newsprint, markers

Defining Transition

1. Ask participants to describe all of the different kinds of transitions that children and families experience. Examples might include daily transitions between child care settings, transitions into Early Head Start, and transitions to kindergarten.

Think of a Child

2. Explain that as children move between settings, we have many hopes that address their emotional, physical, and intellectual development. Distribute Handout 1: Focus on the Child. Have participants think of a specific child or family. Ask them to record some of their hopes for that child' s transition inside the drawing of the child. Then, ask participants to record around the outside of the child the supports that will have an impact on that child's transition—including families, programs, and service providers.

Transition Supports

3. Ask volunteers to share the information recorded on their handouts. First, have them describe their hopes for the child and family. Then, have them describe the supports the child will need in order for the hopes to be met. Record the various supports needed by each child on a sheet of newsprint.

Two Levels of Planning

4. Explain that in order to coordinate the many supports that affect children during transition, planning is needed. There are two levels of planning that are interrelated. To demonstrate, ask participants to think of the process of reserving a train or plane ticket. A large system coordinates all of the pieces necessary for many passengers' journeys. Then, each individual passenger receives a specific plan or itinerary to help him reach his destination. Point out that successful transition planning requires the same two-level structure. The overall system and links created among community partners support individual planning for each child.

Develop Goals

5. Following the travel theme, ask participants to think of transition planning as a journey. Note that the first thing that must be decided for any journey is the destination, or the goal. Divide participants into groups of five or six. Ask each group to discuss goals for:

• Individual children and families
• Their programs
• Agencies and organizations in their community

Reporting Session

6. Reconvene and have the groups report on their discussions. Create a master list of goals for each of the three planning areas. Ask participants to review Handout 1: Focus on the Child to ensure that the goals they have listed encompass all of the hopes they described for children in transition. Add to the list if necessary.

Benefits of Planning

7. Explain that planning is required in order to reach these goals and turn hopes into reality. Distribute Digest: Benefits of Transition Planning from the Informational Resources section and explain that planning has many benefits. Ask participants to think of other benefits of planning for their program.

Crossroads

Suggest that participants use their Personal Planning Log to record how they plan to share the benefits of transition and their transition goals with people not able to attend the workshop. Also suggest that the participants place the handouts from the workshop in their Planning Folder for future reference.

Activity 1-2: Framing a Plan

Purpose: In this activity, participants will be introduced to the five stages of the transition planning framework.

Materials:
Handout 2
Digest: Planning for Transitions (Informational Resources)
Program Profiles (Informational Resources)
Planning Folder, Personal Planning Log (Introduction)
Newsprint, markers

Systematic Planning

1. Explain that planning for transitions is similar to planning for a journey. Discuss systematic planning methods that participants currently use in their programs.

Discuss a Journey

2. Before introducing the transition planning framework, have participants identify the steps they complete when planning a personal trip. List the steps on the left side of a sheet of newsprint.

Introduce the Framework

3. Distribute Handout 2: Transition Planning Framework. Explain that the framework is an example of a systematic planning method. Give an overview of the planning stages and the steps listed on the handout. Share information from Digest: Planning for Transitions from the Informational Resources section or distribute copies of the resource to participants. Then ask participants to identify how the framework stages relate to the steps identified in Step 2 and record their responses on the right side of the newsprint. Examples include:

• Gather information about past trips (Assess Current Practices)
• Determine a destination for the trip (Set Goals)
• Create a list of steps to accomplish (Define Action Steps)
• Embark on the journey (Implement Action Steps)
• Keep a travel journal to review in the future (Review Progress)

Discuss Planning Stages

4. Separate participants into five groups and assign each group a planning stage from the transition planning framework. Then, give each group one Program Profile and ask participants to:

• Review and discuss each of the steps listed for their assigned planning stage

• Discuss how each of the planning stage steps are represented in the Program Profile

Review Current Efforts

5. Reconvene the large group and have the small groups report on their discussions. Then ask participants:

• How is the transition planning framework similar to your program's current systematic planning methods?

• How could you incorporate the transition planning framework into your overall planning efforts?

• Which of the five framework stages would you like to strengthen in your program's transition planning process?

Summarize

6. Briefly review Handout 2: Transition Planning Framework and highlight the steps of the five planning stages. Reinforce that the framework is a tool that can be used continuously to help planners know:

• Where they are
• Where they want to go
• How they will get there

Crossroads

Suggest that participants use their Personal Planning Log to record one practice from the Program Profiles that they would like to apply to their current transition planning. Recommend that they keep the handouts from the activity in their Planning Folder.

Activity 1-3: Standardizing Transition Planning

Purpose: In this activity, staff members will review the Head Start Program Performance Standards and identify current and required transition practices for their program.

Materials:
Handout 3
Several copies of the Head Start Program Performance Standards
Planning Folder, Personal Planning Log (Introduction)

Discuss Planning Outcomes

1. Ask staff members to describe their current transition planning efforts and examine any plans they brought to the training. Discuss how transition planning efforts fit into these plans and overall program planning. Review the results of the program's current transition planning for children, families, programs, and the community. Compare these results to the benefits listed in the Background Information section.

Review Transition Standards

2. Provide staff members with copies of the Head Start Program Performance Standards. For a general overview, refer to the information on transition services in Section 1304.41 (c) and discuss the standards listed. Ask staff members how the standards relate to the programming discussed in Step 1. For example, if programs schedule child and family visits to the elementary school, ask the staff members to identify the performance standard relating to this action step.

Integrating Transition

3. Explain that transition affects many aspects of the Head Start program, from health to parent involvement. For example, Section 1304.40 Family Partnerships requires programs to help families access community services and resources. By working with a sending program to assess what services a family has received in the past, Head Start programs can provide smoother and quicker connections between families and community resources. Other examples of transition-related standards include:

• Early Childhood Development and Health Services: Child Health and Developmental Services 1304.20 (a) Determining child health status

• Family and Community Partnerships: Family Partnerships 1304.40 (h) Parent involvement in transition activities

• Program Design and Management: Human Resources Management 1304.52 (k) (3) (ii) Training and development

Explore Performance Standards

4. Have staff members review the Head Start Program Performance Standards to identify other standards relating to transition. Distribute Handout 3: Integrating Transition Services and have staff members record their responses in the first column.

Investigate

5. Ask staff members to complete the handout column labeled Current Program Efforts after the coaching session, by conferring with parents and staff and checking program records. As staff members complete the handout, encourage them to invite others to join them in planning ways to implement transition performance standards in their program.

Develop Planning Ideas

6. At a follow-up session, review the completed information and examine how program plans currently address transition. Then, have staff members complete the third column on Handout 3, labeled Transition Planning Ideas.

Share Information

7. Help staff brainstorm strategies for communicating the information recorded on Handout 3: Integrating Transition Services to other staff members, parents, and community members. Information about potential planning ideas can be shared with members of policy councils, community coalitions, or program management.

Crossroads

Suggest that participants use the Personal Planning Log to prioritize one transition performance standard that they will work to implement or strengthen in their program. Suggest that staff members place the handouts in their Planning Folders for future reference.

Activity 1-4: Getting on Track

Purpose: In this activity, staff members will review Handout 2: Transition Planning Framework and use it to develop strategies for refining current plans.

Materials:
Handouts 2, 4, and 5,
Digest: Planning for Transitions (Informational Resources),
Hands-on Tools: Sample Transition Plans (Informational Resources),
Planning Folder, Personal Planning Log (Introduction)

Introduce Planning Framework

1. Briefly discuss with staff members their program's systematic planning methods. Introduce Handout 2: Transition Planning Framework as a comprehensive planning approach that can be integrated with their current efforts. Share the information contained in Digest: Planning for Transitions from the Informational Resources section and emphasize that the framework is a planning tool that can assist transition planning teams in strengthening their planning process.

Review Sample Transition Plans

2. Provide staff members with the three Hands-on Tools: Sample Transition Plans from the Informational Resources section. Ask them to use Handout 2: Transition Planning Framework to identify the planning stages included in each plan. Explain that each plan addresses various aspects of planning and is written in a different style. Discuss the common elements and differences among the plans. Ask staff members which sample plan most closely meets the needs of their program.

Identify Current Efforts

3. If the staff members' program has no formal written transition plans in place, ask them to think of current informal practices. Distribute Handout 4: Refining Plans and ask participants to evaluate their informal efforts in terms of the transition planning framework. Begin by discussing the individual elements of their transition efforts. Then, relate these parts to the stages of the framework. Skip to Step 5.

Review Plans

4. Review the plans that staff members bring to the meeting. Give them a copy of Handout 4: Refining Plans and help them to identify the transition planning framework stages included in their plans. Discuss with staff members the stages of the framework that could be strengthened in their plans to make transition practices more effective.

Set Goals

5. Ask staff members to focus on one stage of the framework that they would like to begin to improve. Distribute Handout 5: Laying the Track. Ask staff members to identify the short-term goals and action steps that will lead them from where they are now to where they want to be. Have them follow the directions on the handout to illustrate their plan.

Summarize Benefits

6. Close the session by summarizing the benefits of formalizing transition planning through the use of the transition planning framework. Also highlight the information from Handout 4: Refining Plans.

Crossroads

Suggest that staff members use the Personal Planning Log to record how they plan to introduce the transition planning framework to other staff members in their program. Also suggest that they place the activity's handouts in their Planning Folder.

Activity 1-5: Stepping Stones

Purpose: In this activity, participants will assess their current transition Stepping process and identify key partners who can help implement action steps to reach desired effective practices.

Materials:
Handouts 2, 6, 7, and 8
Planning Folder, Personal Planning Log (Introduction)
Rope, newsprint, markers

Introduce Effective Practices

1. Place six newsprint sheets around the room and write on each one a question from the Current Practice column on Handout 6: Where Are We? Have participants form six groups and assign them each one question to discuss. Continue as follows:

• Give each group a few minutes to record their ideas.
• Rotate the newsprint sheet to the next group.
• Have each group add their ideas to the list.
• Repeat until each group has reviewed all six practices.

Small Group Discussions

2. Reconvene the group and review the information recorded for each current practice. Then, distribute copies of Handout 6: Where Are We? As a group, discuss the questions in the Desired Practices column and have the participants use the handout to take notes.

Identify Partners

3. Explain to the participants that effective planning involves key partners in a transition planning team. Distribute Handout 7: Building a Team. Have participants write in the first column the names of community partners they want to involve in their core transition planning team. Next, ask participants to add to the list other people in the community who would support transition efforts in more secondary roles. Have them refer to Side 1 of Handout 8: Key Partners to see if there are any additional partners to include.

Identify Roles

4. In the second column of Handout 7: Building a Team, ask participants to write how each person can contribute to the planning team. Refer them to Handout 2: Transition Planning Framework. Remind participants of the five stages their planning team must address. Potential roles for key players are also listed in the Background Information section under Building a Team.

Begin Demonstration

5. Recruit two volunteers to come to the front of the room. Ask the group to choose a practice from Handout 6: Where Are We? that they would like to improve. Then ask the group to assign the two volunteers roles from the list of potential planning team members.

Brainstorm Strategies

6. Using the group's suggestions, have one person stand at a point representing the current practice and the other at a point representing the desired practice. Give the person at the current practice point a rope. Then ask what strategies could be used to help bridge the gap between these practices.

Stepping Stones

7. Continue the demonstration as follows:

• When the group agrees on a strategy, tell the staff member with the rope to throw one end to her partner.

• If the rope does not reach, ask participants to name another strategy that might be a stepping stone to the desired practice. Have another volunteer stand between the first two volunteers to represent this new strategy. Repeat the exercise again until the new volunteer catches the rope and the first volunteer can move to the next stepping stone.

• Together, the two volunteers can now develop an appropriate strategy to toss the rope to the person at the desired point.

Summarize

8. Explain how the stepping stones represent appropriate action steps and short-term goals for planning and the more distant points represent long-term goals. Using these steps is essential for transition planning teams to improve their current practices and strengthen their relationships with partners.

Crossroads

Suggest that participants use their Personal Planning Logs to record several stepping stones or action steps that will help them reach an effective practice listed on Handout 6: Where Are We? Also have them list the partners who could help implement these steps. Suggest that participants place handouts in their Planning Folder.

Activity 1-6: Forming a Transition Team

Purpose: In this activity, staff members will initiate the development of a transition planning team

Materials:
Handouts 1, 7, and 8
Planning Folder, Personal Planning Log (Introduction)

Think of a Child

1. Distribute Handout 1: Focus on the Child. Have staff members think of a child in their program who may have some specific transition needs. On the handout, have participants depict through words or drawings some of their hopes for that child during transition.

Identify Key Partners

2. Review the roles that key partners may play on a transition planning team. Explain that key partners can participate in the planning process as members of a core planning team. Key partners may also contribute to planning by advising the team, implementing the plan, reviewing progress, or advocating for the team.

Identify Roles

3. Ask staff members to use the first column of Handout 7: Building a Team to list the people in their community who could assist in planning for the transition of the child they have described in Step 1. Then ask staff members to think of other children with various transition issues and identify the key players who might need to be involved in transition planning teams. Refer staff members to Side 1 of Handout 8: Key Partners for additional ideas. In the second column of Handout 7: Building a Team, ask staff members to list how they would like these key partners to be involved.

Arrange a Meeting

4. Have staff members select several key partners who may be willing to be a part of the core transition planning team. Using the second side of Handout 8: Key Partners, help the staff members plan a meeting to be held during the next coaching session. Explain that the purpose for this meeting will be to initiate a planning team.

Plan the Agenda

5. Work with the staff members to create an agenda for the meeting, which might include discussion of:

• Transition planning goals and directions
• The benefits of planning
• Elements of the transition planning framework
• The roles that the key partners could play

At the Meeting

6. At the next coaching session, allow the staff members to take the lead in the meeting. Introduce yourself as a trainer who is assisting the program with its transition planning. Explain that you will observe during the meeting and take some time at the end to help the participants review their progress.

Summarize

7. Review the results of the meeting. Ask meeting participants:

• Do you believe that you share a transition definition and vision?

• Do you understand the benefits of transition planning and the elements of the transition planning framework?

• If you are interested in becoming involved in the planning team, what do you think are some potential next steps?

Crossroads

Suggest that staff members use the Personal Planning Log to record one short-term goal and one long-term goal for maintaining the planning meeting momentum. Suggest that they place the handouts from the session in their Planning Folder. Also ask staff members to evaluate how the training is meeting their needs. Review the contents of the other three modules, and ask them which areas they would like to target next.

Next Steps: Ideas to Extend Practice

Next Steps: The following activities can help participants review key information, Ideas to Extend practice skills, and assess their understanding of the module's concepts.

• Explain that many promising transition practices are being implemented around the country. Suggest that participants form an interdisciplinary team and research the promising practices that might be effective in their program or community. Provide the team with copies of the Program Profiles from the Informational Resources section and tell them to discuss practices from the profiles that they would like to implement in their community. Suggest that the team members follow through on their research by contacting representatives from one or more of the programs listed in the profiles or by contacting others in their community who have initiated promising practices. As team members find out more about how other programs initiated their efforts, they can identify goals for their programs and plan action steps to reach their goals.

• Provide the team members with the Hands-on Tools: Action Plan Outline from the Informational Resources section so they can develop a transition plan that incorporates all the elements of the transition planning framework. Once the program plan has been developed, the team should lead an inservice training focusing on the overall benefits of transition planning and providing staff with the information, skills, and forms needed to implement and track the progress of the plan.

• Have staff perform a programwide assessment of transition practices using Handout 6: Where Are We? Once the information is compiled, staff members could be invited to participate in setting long-term and short-term transition goals and developing strategies for achieving the goals. A trained facilitator or experienced professional from another agency might moderate the process of setting goals with all staff. Alternatively, small teams that represent various staff positions could work to develop goals. The entire group could consider the ideas developed by each team.

• Participants can create networking opportunities by inviting community partners to meetings. At the meeting, invited guests can spend a few minutes introducing themselves, describing their program, and providing information pamphlets. In addition, at every meeting, organizers can maintain a contact list of information for each key partner, including the partner's agency name, position, phone number, fax number, address, and e-mail. The list of attendees could be distributed later to all who participated, along with meeting minutes and invitations to attend future events.