Supporting Every Child’s Path to Kindergarten

At Overbrook Early Learning Center, we are committed to making the transition from Pre-K to kindergarten a positive and successful experience for every child. This includes children who may benefit from an additional year of Pre-K before entering kindergarten.

We support a smooth transition to kindergarten through collaboration, planning, and family engagement.

Transition supports include:

• Classroom visits
• Transition meetings
• Collaboration between Pre-K and Kindergarten teachers
• Family orientation events

Student records transfer automatically within East Haven Public Schools.

Why Some Students Stay an Extra Year

Some children benefit from continued development in a Pre-K setting before moving to kindergarten. An extra year in Pre-K can help:

• Strengthen social-emotional skills
   
• Build early literacy and math foundations
   
• Increase independence and confidence
   
• Support readiness for kindergarten routines and expectations
   

This extended Pre-K year is aligned with our curriculum and follows the same unit-of-study model that is connected to the Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards (CT ELDS). Children are assessed through Teaching Strategies Gold (TSG) to guide learning goals and progress.

What to Expect in the Transition Process

We partner with families and receiving kindergarten teachers to:

• Share learning goals and assessment results
   
• Arrange classroom visits or transition meetings
   
• Provide families with resources and activities to continue learning at home
   

Answer questions and support individualized needs