Paving the Way to Kindergarten: Timelines and Guidelines for Preschool Staff Working with Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families.

This booklet is designed to offer preschool staff who are working with children with special needs a process for supporting children and families through the transition to kindergarten. It begins by discussing the teachers role as a partner to parents of children with disabilities. A timeline is then presented for planning a child's transition to kindergarten. Goals and student educational objectives are listed for September to December, January to February, and March to June. Tips are provided for writing a teacher report for the Committee on Special Education, as well as for providing a transition portfolio for the kindergarten teacher. Activities are also listed for helping children to be emotionally ready to transition to kindergarten. The booklet then discusses home school placement and placement in inclusive schools. A reading list on transition is provided, along with transition books for students. Appendices include a Kindergarten Survival Skills Checklist, an observation checklist to help parents and educators organize information and impressions of a programs suitability for a particular child, a list of questions for parents to consider to assess a student's program needs, and a transition to kindergarten timeline for planning for preschool staff, parents, and school staff. (CR)