From Child Care to School: Experience and Perceptions of Children and their Families

Abstract

This paper reports on a study that traced the experiences of Australian working families as their children started school. Each family faced the prospect of moving their child from the intimate environment of a child care centre that operated from early in the morning to early evening to a large primary school with a 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. day.

Children and parents were interviewed on two occasions during the transition period and interview transcripts analysed to provide detailed descriptive, interpretative, and evaluative information on experiences and perceptions of the transition. Findings from the study highlight the processes and systems of the transition and relationships between various processes and systems. At the interpretative level they assist in: (a) understanding the complexity of the transition, (b) heightening awareness of factors to be taken into account when planning for children's transitions, and (c) drawing attention to the social and systemic processes that are likely to affect parents’ management of the transition and influence children's adjustment to school.