Rural Influence on the Use of Transition Practices by Preschool Teachers

Early childhood transition services for children play a vital role in their successful entry to school; however, little is known regarding factors that may impact the use of various important transition practices. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a community demographic characteristic (specifically, rurality) on the reported use of specific transition practices. Preschool teachers' report of their use of transition practices was evaluated in a nationally representative sample of 2,434 teachers. Results revealed significant differences in the utilization use of 11 transition practices between rural and urban classrooms. Further, teachers in rural communities utilized used a different number of transition practices in comparison to their urban peers. The implications of this study and needed future research are discussed.