The Spring 2026 issue of Educating Young Children is focused entirely on the preschool-to-kindergarten transition and reading it this week hit me differently than it might have at any other time.
The move from preschool to kindergarten introduces children and their families to new environments with different routines, activities, and expectations.
The transition to kindergarten can be both exciting and challenging for young children and their families: Entering a new school environment means navigating new routines, expectations, social interactions, and approaches to individualized support.
The transition from preschool to kindergarten is an important part of this foundation: Research has shown that it can have lasting effects on a child’s well-being, including both short- and long-term academic impacts.
You care deeply about early childhood education. You see how policies affect children, families, and educators every day. But advocacy can still feel intimidating.
NAEYC promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. We advance a diverse early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children.
NAEYC promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. We advance a diverse early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children.
NAEYC promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. We advance a diverse early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children.
Celebrate 100 years of early childhood education with three simple activities for your program, plus reflection ideas and music to bring learning to life.
NAEYC's Susan Friedman, Annie Moses, and Meghan Salas-Atwell emphasize the importance of choosing a high-quality preschool curriculum and how NAEYC's DAP resources guides help navigate the false dichotomies.
James L. Hymes Jr., a professor of education in New Paltz, New York, wrote the opening excerpt in an article reflecting on the first 25 years of the National Association for Nursery Education, NAEYC’s predecessor.
