Challenges in the transition to kindergarten and children's well-being through elementary school: Do school transition supports matter?

Abstract

This study examined how transition supports (i.e., school or classroom activities intended to support children and families during the transition to kindergarten) cluster within schools and how schools’ use of transition supports are consequential for children's transition challenges (i.e., psychological adjustment during the transition to kindergarten) and academic and socioemotional well-being across elementary school. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten 2011 Cohort (ECLS-K:2011; N = 13,390), the current study illuminated the immediate and sustained association between transition challenges and children's academic and socioemotional outcomes. Mediation models demonstrated that children attending schools which offer high levels of basic transition supports experienced fewer transition challenges and in turn, experienced higher achievement, and better socioemotional well-being. Conversely, moderation models demonstrated that the links between transition challenges and children's outcomes did not vary based on schools’ constellations of transition supports. The results serve as valuable insights for guiding interventions during the transition to kindergarten.