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(Re)penser les façons de favoriser la qualité des transitions vers les services éducatifs offerts aux enfants de 0 à 8 ans : éditorial

Stéphanie Duval and Ariane Fiset

Regards croisés sur les stratégies favorisant la participation au volet Parents de la maternelle 4 ans au Québec

Julie Poissant, Josée Charette, Stéphanie Langheit, France Capuano and Christa Japel
In Quebec, the preschool education cycle program is designed for children in both the 4-year-old and 5-year-old kindergarten. In the 4-year-old kindergarten, in addition to an educational component for the child, a component aimed at parents seeks to build connections with the school environment and support the entire family's transition to school. This exploratory qualitative study brings together the perspectives of 17 teachers of 4-year-old kindergarten classes and 25 parents, at least one parent per class, recruited from three school service centres, on the strategies that promote participation in the Parents component. A thematic analysis of the semi-structured interviews identified ten strategies. Our analyses highlight the strategies useful for supporting parental involvement while also shedding light on the limitations of an approach centred solely of the Parent component.

Le potentiel de l’utilisation des vidéos captées à la maison et en classe pour favoriser la collaboration école-famille dans la transition de l’enfant autiste vers l’éducation préscolaire

Andréa Lavigne
This article proposes insights on the potential of video recordings made in family and preschool settings to support the transition to kindergarten of autistic children with complex communication needs. One parent self-captured eight short interactions at home with their child and presented them to the researcher. These videos were submitted to the special education teacher for review. The results identify the contextual cues on which both adults and children rely to adjust their interactions, as well as the supportive strategies used by adults. New collaborative family-school ideas are emerging to better support the child and rethink the parent's involvement in the transition.

Analyse des caractéristiques et des conditions de la relation école-famille lors de la transition scolaire en période de COVID

Stéphanie Duval, Gabriel Kappeler and Enkeleda Arapi
This article presents the findings of an exploratory study conducted in Québec and Switzerland aimed at understanding the characteristics and the conditions of the school-family relationship that facilitated the transition to school during the COVID pandemic. Data collected in fall 2020 from parents of 4‑ and 5‑year‑old children and from teachers highlight several factors supporting a successful transition, including teachers’ relational qualities and the maintenance of bidirectional communication, sometimes supported by technological tools. The study also reveals divergences in participants’ perceptions, as they do not value the same aspects of the school–family relationship. Finally, the results underscore the importance of strengthened collaboration between families and teachers to establish a high‑quality relationship, thereby supporting children’s transition to school in both Québec and Switzerland.

Les transitions horizontales à l’éducation préscolaire : regards d’enseignantes sur le vécu d’enfants âgés de 5 ans au Québec et en France

Christelle Robert-Mazaye, Joanne Lehrer, Alexandra Paquette, Stéphanie Duval, Julie Delalande, Nancy Proulx, Pascale Garnier, Mathieu Point and Carmen Sanchez
Daily life in preschool education is shaped by frequent horizontal transitions, which involve changes in activities, settings, responsible adults, and expectations placed on children. This joint France-Québec project, conducted with twelve teachers (six in Québec and six in France) responsible for groups of five‑year‑old children, examined perceptions of horizontal transitions and the role of routines and rituals in structuring the school day. The analysis of their accounts provides a contextualized perspective on the notion of horizontal transitions, a concept that has received limited attention in the literature to date.

(Re)penser la place de la communauté dans la première transition scolaire : l’initiative inspirante des Aidants scolaires

Ariane Fiset, Julie Mélançon, Guylaine Maurice, Josée Rhéaume and Lise Allard
This article presents the Aide à la première transition scolaire service, an inspiring community-based initiative designed to support children showing signs of vulnerability as they enter school. Drawing on the experiences of the various actors involved, the article highlights the contributions, challenges, and limitations of the initiative, while reflecting on strategies that can foster effective school-family-community collaboration. It ultimately invites readers to (re)consider the role of the community in the first school transition, emphasizing the importance of coordinated mobilization to ensure a positive and supportive transition for young children.

Renforcer la continuité (een doorgaande lijn) dans un système d’éducation et de soins à la petite enfance fragmenté

Jan De Mets, Lisandre Bergeron-Morin, Bart Declercq and Nima Sharmahd
Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium, has a highly fragmented system of early childhood education and care. The vertical transition from educational childcare (0–3 years) to pre-school education (3–5 years) can take place from the age of 2½ and, from that point onwards, involves horizontal transitions with out-of-school care. As it has been shown that difficult transition experiences can have negative repercussions on children’s development, particularly for vulnerable children and parents, many early years stakeholders are seeking solutions to make these transitions smoother, warmer and more considerate for both children and parents. The Doorgaande Lijn (which means “Continuous Line”) initiative aims to move towards a more integrated system by enabling 12 pilot projects to explore various innovative measures to strengthen collaboration. This article describes the measures implemented by two of these pilot projects. The results show that by strengthening collaboration between the various sectors and stakeholders in early childhood, it is possible to support a smoother transition for young children, families, and professionals.