Preschool teachers' transition practices and parents' perceptions as predictors of involvement and children's school readiness

Preschool teachers can help support families and children successfully transition to kindergarten by utilizing transition practices that support parental involvement and create smooth linkages between early care settings and formal schooling. Additionally, parents' perceptions of invitations for involvement may also play an important role in shaping parental involvement. Using nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Birth cohort (N approximate to 4100) a structural equation model was estimated to examine the relationship among preschool teachers' transition practices, parents' perceptions of invitations for involvement, parental involvement, and measures of school readiness during the transition to kindergarten. Results indicate that parent's perceptions of invitations for involvement are positively associated with home-based parental involvement. Additionally, home-based involvement was predictive of school readiness measures. More specifically, findings suggest that parents who have more positive perceptions about preschool teachers' invitations for involvement report engaging in more home-based involvement activities, which in turn, was positively associated with children's academic achievement and prosocial behaviors and negatively associated with conduct problems and hyperactivity/inattention. Results from this study have important practical implications for educators who aim to encourage parental involvement that supports children's transition to elementary school.