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 2: bringing families on board for planning

Outcomes | Key Concepts | Background Information | Activity 1 | Activity 2 | Activity 3 | Activity 4 Activity 5 | Next Steps
Download these pdf attachments: Handout 9 | Handout 10 | Handout 11 | Handout 12 | Handout 13 | Handout 14

Outcomes

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

• Develop and apply systems for sharing information among families and sending and receiving staff

• Work with families to assess their transition priorities and then identify specific transition goals and action steps

• Collaborate with families, school staff, and program staff to develop individualized transition plans

• Use planning tools and review the impact of planning on children's and families' transitions

Key Concepts

• Transition practices meet individuals' needs and facilitate continuous growth when the practices build on the experiences, culture, and language of children.

• Assessment of family transition priorities and current transition practices provides a foundation for planning individual transitions.

• Family members are an integral part of the planning team because they best understand their children's strengths and needs.

• Planning tools facilitate the planning process by helping staff organize, track, and record progress.

Background Information

As children' s first caregivers and teachers, families play a key role in all aspects of their children's growth. Families are particularly important during times of transition because they provide a constant as children move between settings. Not only do families provide stability and support for children during this period, but they also serve as the principal information carriers, creating a link between the sending program and the receiving one. Because families are the primary experts on their children, their participation during all stages of transition planning is essential. (See Communicating with Parents from the Training Guides for the Head Start Learning Community series for more information.)

Families recognize their children's strengths and their families' unique resources. This understanding helps them assess the amount of preparation and support needed for transitions. Module 1 (see Background Information) introduces two children preparing to enter Early Head Start and Head Start whose families could play a key role in transition planning. These children, Maria and Marcus, have different strengths and needs. For the past year, Maria has received home-based services that focused on her communication skills, which have been affected by frequent ear infections. Marcus has never been cared for by any adults other than his parents and is very reluctant to explore new things on his own. His parents would like him to learn to trust the Early Head Start teachers so he can adjust to their absence. Both families play an important role in planning.

Transition Planning Meeting

Both Maria and Marcus will benefit from individualized transition planning. Maria needs assistance in transferring existing skills into a new environment. Marcus needs assistance in developing skills to cope with new experiences. Before Maria and Marcus enter the program, a transition planning meeting begins the planning process. The planning teams for Maria and Marcus will include different members. Maria's team may include her mother, her grandparents, the county health worker who has been providing home-based services, her Head Start teacher and director, and a speech therapist. Marcus' team may include his parents, his Early Head Start teacher, and the family and community partnership coordinator who helped the family register.

Transition Planning Framework

Once the planning team has been assembled, the transition planning framework provides direction (see Handout 2: Transition Planning Framework in Module 1). The framework has five stages: assess current practices, set goals, define action steps, implement action steps, and review progress.

The transition planning framework can be individualized as follows:

Assess Current Practices

During the planning meeting, families, Head Start staff, and service providers share valuable information about the Head Start program and its policies, classroom experiences, available services, family priorities, previous experiences, and expectations. In essence, the planning team assesses what the child needs for a smooth transition. When sharing information, it is important to consider the communication styles of the individuals involved. Some people prefer to complete written forms, while others prefer to share information orally.

Each member of the team has unique information to share. Maria's family may share their wish for her to develop English and Spanish linguistic skills. The home provider may share strategies that can be continued in Head Start. Because of this meeting, Maria's receiving teacher and speech therapist have valuable information that will help them to better serve Maria. Rather than spending weeks testing various learning strategies, they can build on what she already knows.

During the planning process, Marcus' family may describe the uncomfortable reaction that Marcus has had when left with other family members. His teachers then know that Marcus may need extra time to adjust to the program and that it is beneficial to plan various strategies to help both the child and family. By sharing the ways that Marcus comforts himself at home, his parents provide his teachers with information they can build on as they help him in the program. Marcus' teachers can also share developmental information to help his parents understand how young toddlers perceive separation.

Set Goals

Enhancing English and Spanish language development and establishing positive child-staff relationships are examples of goals that the transition planning teams have identified for Maria and Marcus.

Define Action Steps

A transition plan also includes action steps that families and staff can take to achieve these goals. Maria's transition plan may include the following action steps:

• The Head Start director will place Maria in a classroom with children who speak both English and Spanish.

• Maria's mother will encourage Maria to speak Spanish at home.

• The speech therapist will practice both Spanish and English sounds with Maria.

Marcus' transition plan may include the following action steps:

• Before he begins the program, teachers will conduct several home visits and Marcus will visit the program with his parents several times.

• Marcus' parents will bring Marcus' special stuffed animal from home on a daily basis.

• Every day when it is time for Marcus' parents to leave, the teacher will take him to the window to wave goodbye.

Implement Action Steps

To implement action steps, planners need to identify who will be involved, the resources they will need, and when each action step will occur. For example, to ensure Maria is in a bilingual classroom, the program director needs a list of children enrolling and information about their cultural and linguistic backgrounds. She would also need to assign to the classroom bilingual teachers or a volunteer who speaks Spanish.

Review Progress

Reviewing progress occurs throughout the planning process and ensures that the original plans are implemented and that changes are made as necessary. Informal conversations held during pick-up and drop-off, written communications such as journals and daily reports, and formal home-school conferences provide opportunities for families and staff to review the child's progress.

For example, Maria's mother notices that several weeks after entering Head Start, Maria is using less Spanish at home. Maria's mother can discuss this change with Maria's teacher when she takes Maria to school. Or she can inform the teacher by using a home-school journal. After discussing the problem, Maria's mother and teacher can adjust their action steps to include teaching some other children Spanish words and posting labels in both English and Spanish in the classroom.

Act as Sender and Receiver

At some point during the school year, staff who were receivers of information about a child begin to prepare the child for transition. They now become senders, and their role is to provide the receiving teachers with valuable information about the child's experiences. When the time comes to plan for the next transition, Marcus' family will continue to play a key role in providing information, sharing goals, and evaluating potential placements.

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 2-1: Sharing Information

Purpose: In this activity, participants will develop strategies for formally and informally sharing information between families and early childhood programs to prepare children for transition.

Materials:
Handouts 9 and 10
Planning Folder, Personal Planning Log (Introduction)

Transition Scenarios

1. Have participants separate into small groups. Assign each group a Current Situation from Handout 9: Situations. Although the descriptions provide few details, participants should do their best to find a solution to the assigned problem. Have one member of each group record the group's suggested solutions.

Apply Missing Information

2. Distribute to each group the second page of Handout 9: Situations (Continued). After participants read the Additional Information for their situation, have them reevaluate their solutions and make necessary adjustments. Ask:

• How does this additional information change your original solution?

• Which key partner was most knowledgeable about the missing information?

• Sometimes teachers do not review a student's records because they want to avoid being prejudiced. How can this concern be balanced with the need to share appropriate information?

Brainstorm

3. Discuss Handout 10: Information Sharing between Home and Early Childhood Programs. Ask the group to refer to Handout 9: Situations and see if there is additional information that families and staff need to share to prepare children for transition. Have them record their ideas on the bottom of Handout 10: Information Sharing between Home and Early Childhood Programs.

Small Group Assignment

4. Have the participants form two groups. Ask one group to act as parents and the other group to act as staff members. Using the strategies from Handout 10: Information Sharing between Home and Early Childhood Programs (Continued), ask the two groups to decide how they would communicate the information to the other team.

Formal vs. Informal

5. Bring the group back together and have them discuss their various strategies for formally and informally sharing information. Ask:

• Which methods were parents most likely to use? Were they formal or informal?

• Which methods were staff most likely to use? Were they formal or informal?

• Are these two approaches compatible? Why or why not?

Summarize

6. Discuss the importance of balancing the strategies used for sharing information. Make the following points:

• Everyone has a preferred communication style.
• Everyone can develop supportive styles.
• Using a variety of strategies improves communication.

Crossroads

Suggest that participants use their Personal Planning Log to record a strategy that they can use in their program to improve two-way communication with parents. Also suggest that they store the handouts from the activity in their Planning Folder.

Activity 2-2: Assessing Transition Priorities

Purpose: In this activity, staff members will work to assess the priorities that families have for children in transition.

Materials:
Handouts 1 (Module 1), 10, and 11
Digest: Surviving the Late Spring Jitters (Informational Resources)
Hands-on Tools: Information Release (Informational Resources)
Planning Folder, Personal Planning Log (Introduction)

Introduction

1. Using examples from the Background Information section and from Digest: Surviving the Late Spring Jitters in the Informational Resources section, briefly discuss the kinds of support that children in transition need. Ask staff members to identify a child who has recently experienced a transition in his home life or early childhood program. Have them write this experience in the drawing of the child on Handout 1: Focus on the Child, located in Module 1. Have them label the left side of the page Existing Supports and the right side Missing but Needed Supports.

Discuss Supports

2. Ask staff members to name the supports that were available to the child during the transition. Have them write these supports on the left side of the page. Then ask staff members to name supports that were unavailable but that could have helped the child through the transition. They should write these on the right side of the page. Discuss:

• Why do you think these supports were not available?

• How would the child's experience have been different had these supports been available?

• How would assessing the child's situation before the transition have ensured that additional necessary supports were available?

Identify a Family

3. Ask staff members to think of a child and family who are preparing for transition. This family should be willing to work with them on a transition planning team. Have the staff members set up a pretransition meeting with the family.

Prepare for the Meeting

4. In preparation for the meeting with the parents, discuss Handout 10: Information Sharing between Home and Early Childhood Programs. Ask the staff members to consider:

• What transition information do you have to share with the parent?

• What information about the child and the family's priorities do you hope to learn from the parent?

• How will you address the issue of confidentiality? (See Hands-on Tools: Information Release from the Informational Resources section for possible resource materials.)

Share Resources

5. Share Handout 11: Transition Passport with the staff members. Explain that during their meeting with the parent, they should discuss the form and tell the parents how the information will be used. The parents and staff member should fill out the left side of the form at the initial meeting; the right side will be completed when the full transition planning team meets (see Activity 2-3). The staff member should also describe what the parents can expect in the transition team meeting and what role they can play.

Summarize

6. Hold a follow-up coaching session after the participants meet with the parents. Review the information that the staff members and parents shared during their meeting. Ask:

• What are the child's strengths and needs?

• What are the family's main priorities for their child's transition?

• How can you help this family continue their participation in the transition planning process?

Crossroads

Suggest that staff members use their Personal Planning Log to record the names of family members or other professionals who have been identified as potential transition planning team members. This list will be used in Activity 2-3. Also suggest that staff members store the handouts from the activity in their Planning Folder.

Activity 2-3: Meeting with the Transition Team

Purpose: In this activity, staff members work with a transition planning team to develop transition plans for an individual child.

Materials: Handouts 2 (Module 1) and 11
Hands-on Tools: (Informational Resources)
Sample Information Sharing Forms
Action Plan Outline
Making Sure Your Plan Succeeds
Planning Folder, Personal Planning Log (Introduction)

Review Activity 2-2

1. Hold an initial coaching session. Review the information gathered in Activity 2-2 about a child and family preparing for transition. Explain that the next step is to have the staff members and family share this information with a transition planning team. Refer the staff members to the list of potential planning team members developed at the Crossroads of Activity 2-2.

Introduce the Action Plan Outline

2. Have the staff members organize a meeting with the potential partners and the child's family. Prior to the transition planning meeting, review with staff members the Hands-on Tools: Action Plan Outline from the Informational Resources section. Discuss how this planning tool helps record goals, define action steps, and keep track of a child's progress. Also review Handout 2: Transition Planning Framework from Module 1. Explain that the purpose of the transition team meeting is to set goals and define action steps.

Share Information

3. To provide participants with another resource for the meeting, distribute the five Hands-on Tools: Sample Information Sharing Forms from the Informational Resources section. These forms are:

• Individualized Transition Plan Conference Guide
• Who Is This Child?
• Intake Form
• Worksheet for Sharing Information about Your Child
• Information Release

Explain that these tools help the transition planning team members communicate information about their programs and the children and families in transition. Ask meeting participants to consider which forms would be helpful to the transition planning team.

Role of the Coach

4. Provided the family gives permission, the coach should attend the transition planning meeting as an observer and explain that his or her role is to observe and provide support during the initial planning efforts. The staff members being coached should lead the meeting.

Meeting Structure

5. Staff members and parents can begin the meeting by sharing Handout 11: Transition Passport, which was partially completed in Activity 2-2. The team can then brainstorm strategies to support transition and record this information on the right side of the page.

Action Plan Outline

6. After reviewing Handout 11: Transition Passport, the group can use the Hands-on Tools: Action Plan Outline from the Informational Resources section to record the goals, action steps, and follow-up methods that senders, receivers, and parents can use to design an individualized transition plan for the child. Suggest that the staff members being coached conclude the meeting by emphasizing the roles that each team member, including parents, will play.

Summarize

7. Hold a follow-up coaching session. Discuss the importance of making sure that actions steps are implemented. Refer them to Hands-on Tools: Making Sure Your Plan Succeeds from the Informational Resources section for more information. Ask:

• How did the group decide to keep track of progress?
• How will you adjust the plan when necessary?
• How will you maintain the family's participation?

Crossroads

Suggest that staff members use the Personal Planning Log to record how this planning process can be applied to all children in the program. Recommend that the staff members store the handouts and tools from the activity in their Planning Folder.

Activity 2-4: Using Planning Tools

Purpose: In this activity, participants use planning tools to develop Using Planning individualized transition plans for children.

Materials: Handouts 12 and 13
Hands-on Tools: Action Plan Outline (Informational Resources)
Planning Folder, Personal Planning Log (Introduction)
Notebook paper

Individual Tools

1. Explain that in addition to everyday tools, participants have many mental tools, such as good problem-solving abilities or consensus building skills. On a small piece of paper, ask each participant to record her name and one tool that she brings to the planning process. Collect the papers and set them aside until the end of the training.

Introduction to Activity

2. Ask participants to suggest tools that are used in Head Start and explain how they assist in accomplishing tasks (for example, the Program Information Report). Explain that in this workshop, participants develop and apply the tools needed to create individualized transition plans.

Planning Tools

3. Have participants separate into small groups. Assign each group a scenario from Handout 12: Transition Scenarios and provide them with Handout 13: Planning Tool A, B, C, or D as indicated. Tell the groups to develop an individualized transition plan.

Discuss Benefits

4. Discuss how using such tools helps staff plan transitions. Ask:

• How did the planning tool help you to organize goals and action steps?

• How flexible was the tool for recording important information from the family and previous programs?

• How can a planning tool help you keep track of progress?

Create a Planning Tool

5. Have participants form new groups that contain a mix of people who have used different planning tools. Have the participants design a transition planning tool that incorporates the best elements of the four individual tools used in Steps 3 and 4. Allow time for each small group to share their new-and-improved planning tool.

Distribute Action Plan Outline

6. Reconvene and ask participants to discuss how the right tool can make planning easier. Explain that an ideal planning tool helps a team list goals or strategies, plan action steps, describe benefits, assign responsibilities, establish a deadline, and describe a system for documenting progress. Share the Hands-on Tools: Action Plan Outline from the Informational Resources section so participants can see a comprehensive example of a planning tool.

Summarize

7. Bring out the papers collected in Step 1. Explain that all of the team's internal tools supplement their new planning tools. Have each participant select a piece of paper and point out the person and tool recorded on it. Close by saying that everyone on the team has a tool that is useful to the group.

Crossroads

Suggest that participants record in their Personal Planning Log how they can use transition planning tools in their overall program planning. Also suggest they store the activity handouts in their Planning Folder.

Activity 2-5: Fast Forward

Purpose: In this activity, participants will review current transition plans, compare them with the original transition plan goals, and recommend necessary adjustments.

Materials:
Handouts 1 and 2 (Module 1), 10 and 14
Planning Folder, Personal Planning Log (Introduction)
Blindfold, masking tape, scissors

Review Planning Framework

1. Review Handout 2: Transition Planning Framework from Module 1. Have volunteers give examples of steps that apply to the first four stages. For example, to assess, a receiving teacher may have a phone conversation with a sending teacher. Explain that planning teams often complete the first four stages of the framework, but they usually do not review progress or refine plans.

Hands-on Activity

2. Ask a volunteer to come to the front of the room to be blindfolded. Explain that the goal of the activity is to help move the child to the new program, represented by the X. Hand the person the paper cutout and spin him or her around several times. Do not allow anyone to speak to the person as they place the cutout on the wall. Leave the child taped to the spot where the volunteer placed it.

Repeat Demonstration

3. Repeat Step 2 but use two volunteers. Blindfold one and tell the second volunteer to give feedback on the first volunteer's progress toward his goal. Then ask:

• Which person put the child closest to the destination?

• How did having a partner to review progress and share information assist in getting closer to the goal?

• What did this activity demonstrate about transition planning?

Review Progress

4. Distribute Handout 10: Information Sharing between Home and Early Childhood Programs (Continued). Have participants place a check beside the information sharing methods that they can use to review progress and give feedback. Discuss:

• What are the differences between using this method to check progress and using it to assess?

• How do you include methods for reviewing progress in a child's transition plan?

Check Progress

5. Discuss methods for following up on individual children, such as sharing progress reports, visiting the child in a new setting, or conducting follow-up meetings. Discuss and compare the benefits of the methods participants have used in their programs.

Use Scenarios

6. Have participants separate into small groups. Assign either the scenario for Maria or for Marcus from Handout 14: Progress Report to each group. Tell the groups to read the Transition Plan and the Fast Forward descriptions and discuss the following topics:

• What progress has been made toward the goal so far?

• What additional action steps could be taken to refine the plan to reflect new circumstances?

• How could a timeline assist the transition team in reviewing progress more regularly in the future?

Summarize Experiences

7. Reconvene the entire group and have participants share their strategies for reviewing and documenting progress. After they have shared their strategies, make these points:

• It is important that the individualized transition planning process for all children includes a plan for reviewing progress.

• All team members, including parents, share responsibility for accomplishing tasks, reviewing progress, and adjusting plans.

Crossroads

Suggest that participants use their Personal Planning Log to record current transition efforts that need to be reviewed by their planning team. Suggest that they store their handouts in their Planning Folder.

Next Steps: Ideas to Extend Practice

The following activities can help participants review key information, Ideas to Extend practice skills, and assess their understanding of the concepts in this Practice module:

• Have participants contact a staff person from another program to discuss how that program shares information with families. Ask participants to set up a meeting with this person to compare that process with the one used by their program. At this meeting, participants should review forms that their programs use to share and collect information. Together, they can develop forms that both programs can use or incorporate each other's ideas into their own process.

• Have participants review the Accreditation Criteria & Procedures of the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs, published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Ask them to identify the criteria that address transition issues for children and families. Have participants select one criterion as a goal for their program and, in conjunction with other staff, have them develop an action plan for achieving this goal.

• Have participants identify a child who is preparing for transition. Ask them to meet with the people who have or will have regular contact with the child. This group could include family members, sending and receiving teachers, social service personnel, and others. During this meeting, family members and sending staff could use one of the information sharing tools or create a collage of words, pictures, and drawings that describe the child's personality, significant life experiences, likes and dislikes, family aspirations, and teacher observations. Receiving staff can use this opportunity to ask specific questions. After the profile is finished, the receiving staff can take it back to their programs and share it with others who will have contact with the child.

• Ask participants to follow up on a child whose transition placement they recently planned or coordinated. Have them informally survey the parents to learn how they felt about the transition and to request permission to discuss the child's progress with staff from other programs and agencies. Tell staff to ask about additional issues that may concern the child, family, or receiving program. Help staff answer these questions and schedule a follow-up meeting.