Early Childhood Education and School Readiness

This assignment delves into the crucial topic of school readiness in early childhood. It investigates various factors that contribute to a child's preparedness for kindergarten, including the quality of preschool programs, teacher interactions, family involvement, and socioeconomic influences. The analysis draws upon research studies and scholarly articles to understand the complex interplay between these elements and their impact on children's academic and social-emotional development.

Running head: CHILDHOOD THEORY
Early Childhood Theory
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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Introduction
Early childhood is the crucial stage of the human being. In this stage individuals start to
learn several things. Children enhance their learning ability during the early stage of life.
However, teachers, parents and educator face difficulties to teach the students in their early
childhood (Duncan et al., 2018). One of the major issues in early childhood is readiness and
transition. Often many children face issues to learn new things and adjust the new environment.
Hence, the educator face challenges to improve the skill of such children and make them flexible
with the new learning environment. Early childhood community and the professionals face
problem regarding the readiness and transition issues of the children. However, it is difficult for
them to manage the children when they come to school and a new environment.
Often students fail to grasp the language and identify the letter at their early childhood,
which highlights their readiness problem. On the other hand, the transition of the children to the
early childhood community such as pre-school and kindergarten often make the children
uncomfortable (Ziol‐Guest & McKenna, 2014). As a result, it becomes difficult for the educators
to tackle such children and teach them in a proper way. This also leaves a negative impact on
their professional career as they are not able to guide children properly. This study deals with the
early childhood issues and its impact on the educator and the early childhood community.
Therefore, challenges that are faced by early childhood system and the introduction of new
policies will be discussed in this section.

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Literature Review
Readiness and transition issue in early childhood
Readiness refers to the skill and ability of the children to learn things. On the other hand,
movement of a child from home to school is termed as a transition. Both readiness and transition
are required for the mental and physical development of the students (Brown & Lan, 2015).
Maximum students fail to learn and utilize their skill in the school. Thus, it is a big issue that
occurs in the early childhood. In the recent years, maximum classrooms are digital and teachers
use the digital tools to teach the students. This is a big reason, which lowers the growth of the
children. Many studies show that technology affects the learning process of the children.
Use of computers and tablets in the classroom hampers the mental growth and physical
growth of the children. In the modern learning, process children are taught with the help of
computers and tablets. This creates the readiness issue at the early childhood of the children
(Whitehurst, 2016). Lack of concentration causes school readiness problem among the children.
Due to the adoption of the technology to improve the learning process children often lose their
concentration in the study and they become more attracted to the technology. It is a great
challenge for the professionals to enhance the readiness and to make the transition process
smooth. However, parents need to involve in enhancing the readiness process. Lack of the parent
involvement affects the readiness and transition of the children. If the readiness and transition are
affected then the growth of the children will be hampered. However, readiness helps a student to
identify their aspirations. In the recent years, this issue occurs with the individuals at their early
childhood. Students fail to concentrate on their study as a result readiness issue takes place
(Camfield et al., 2014).

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As argued by Tarekegne, (2015), during the transition at early childhood students face
problem regarding school failure, truancy, inappropriate behavior, and non-compliance. It has
been observed that in the home children are nurtured well and get more care where in the school
the children get the culture that is oriented to many subjects and teaching process. Thus, children
and educators face transition issues in early childhood.
Factors influencing readiness and transition issues
Several factors are associated which influence the readiness and transition process
positively and negatively. As commented by Perron, (2014), the establishment of the early
childhood care program is effective to promote the readiness. This program involves in language
development and provides an opportunity to the children who belong to low-income families and
high risk. On the other hand, direct participation of the caregivers in their child's learning process
is helpful to enhance the readiness and transition at early childhood. Apart from these positive
factors, some negative factors are present those hinders the enhancement of the school readiness
and transition at the early childhood. As criticized by Tarekegne, (2015), one of the major factors
is poverty, which resists the school transition of the children at their early childhood. The high
cost of the pre-school program affects the readiness and transition process for the children. Due
to lack of parental education children do not get proper guidance and for the low-income groups,
it is hard to manage the resources for their children to take part in the school transition program.
Some child factors are also associated with the readiness and transition issue in the early
childhood. As for example, lack of physical activity is a big factor that causes readiness issue. In
the recent years, the learning system becomes digital as a result, children are less involved in
physical activity. They spend their maximum time in a video game, computer, and internet. This

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hampers the mental and physical growth of the children and readiness problem occurs (Ziol‐
Guest & McKenna, 2014). Media impact is another factor, which hampers the learning ability of
the children. Children are addicted to the television and internet. They use smart phones, which
makes them inactive and decrease their learning capacity. On the other hand, due to lack of
education parents do not understand the importance of the school transition program as a result
children fail to catch the chance to go school and to enhance their learning ability. Lack of
adequate support service is a big factor that influences the readiness and transition issue in early
childhood. As for example, lack of literacy program for the newcomers, hampers their readiness
and school transition process (Thakur et al., 2016). Early childhood system and policies are not
significant in some countries where maximum peoples belong from the low-income groups. This
increases the readiness and transition issues in early childhood.
Impact of the readiness and transition issue on the early childhood educator
Readiness and transition issue at the early childhood hinders the growth of the children.
Besides, it has a great impact on the professionals who are associated with the early childhood
education. Readiness issue of the children leads the professionals to face a great challenge to
teach the students and bring their concentration in their study (Ma et al., 2015). Therefore, the
educator has to struggle more to improve the knowledge of the students. However, such
readiness and transition issue give an opportunity to the educator to identify the ways to cope up
with the challenge and to enhance their knowledge. They will able to make them flexible in this
critical environment and to get chance to bring improvement in the child's knowledge (Thakur et
al., 2016). They get the idea of how they can improve the learning ability of the children. This is
beneficial for their professional development.

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Possible strategies to improve the readiness and transition issues at early childhood
Establishment of the early childhood education program in the school and the community
is a helpful process to enable the children to improve their school readiness (Schmitt et al.,
2015). Therefore, implementation of the physical education classes within the school enhances
the readiness and helps the children to grow. Establishment of a friendly environment in the
classroom enhances the school transition and the learning ability of the children.
Investigation of the issue
Readiness and transition issue is a major issue in the early childhood. However, this issue
is a great concern for the parents and the early childhood educator as it hinders the mental and
physical growth of the children. Children do not adopt language due to their readiness issue
(Blair & Raver, 2015). Therefore, due to the transition issues the children face difficulties to
cope up with the new environment and the learning process. This issue affects the career of the
children and their growth. Poverty, lack of awareness of the parents, inappropriate education
system and digital learning process are the major factors that influence the readiness and
transition issue. This issue has a great impact on the children growth and the professional career
of the educators.
Based on the findings from literature review it has been observed that readiness issue is a
major problem of early childhood as it affects the success of the education system and the growth
of the children. The countries those are under development face major problem due to an
extreme level of poverty. This is a big reason, which resists the children to go to the school and
obtain an education. As per the statistical data in Australia, 17.4 percent children belong to the
lower income groups, which affect their school transition (Maxon, Oladunni & Jarrett, 2015).

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Children those belong from the poor family have a gap in the school readiness in comparison to
other children. Lack of education and the awareness among the parents do not allow the children
to go to school as the parents have no idea about the importance of the early childhood education
(Goble et al., 2016). Family of the students fails to arrange sufficient resources for the children to
prepare them for school transition. Many students are facing growing issue as they are kept aside
from the school transition due to parental issues.
Use of digital tools in the education system leaves a great impact on the school readiness
as it breaks the concentration of the students and decreases the physical activities of the school.
Lack of adequate physical activities in the school the continuity of the readiness and smooth
transition are affected (Sabol, Bohlmann & Downer, 2017). Educator faces issue while teaching
the children as they need to bring the concentration of the students in their study, which is
difficult for the students those have readiness issue. Lack of physical education classes children
is more addicted to the digital tool, which inhibits the physical growth of the children.
Professionals need to counsel the children. Readiness and transition issues bring a threat for the
professional career of the early childhood educator.
The educators those are associated with young children can relate their difficulties with
the findings of the literature review as this literature shows the problems that are faced by the
early childhood educators in their professional life due to readiness and the transitional issue of
the children. From the literature, it has been found that media has a great negative impact on the
school readiness. However, parents give the children smart phones, computer, tablets to calm
them. On the other hand, modern schools use digital media to teach the children easily. This
resists the children to interact socially and obesity, negative social life, and weak eyesight are the
common negative outcomes of such technology (Sabol & Pianta, 2014). Hence, for this purpose,

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the professionals are restricted to use the smart phones within the classroom as it may hamper the
concentration of the children.
Readiness and transition issue in early childhood gives raise questions about the
effectiveness of personal and professional practice and the quality, system, and policy of the
early childhood. However, it is clear that the professionals fail to improve the learning capacity
of the children at their early stage of life, which results in the readiness and school transition
issue. One of the major system issues of the early childhood education is the high cost of the
modern school. In Australia many people are dealing with the poverty, as a result, they are
unable to send their children to modern school. This increases the readiness and transition issue.
The high cost of the education is the major loopholes of the early childhood education system
(Pianta et al., 2017).
Many early childhood communities and the schools recruit the teachers based on their
qualification. However, many of them have no idea about how to deal with a child. They have
lack of training and experience. This is a big drawback of the early childhood professionals,
which causes school readiness issue. Lack of experience resists the early childhood educator to
interact with the children properly. However, proper interaction is required to bring the
concentration of the children and improve their learning ability. Hence, the educator should be
experienced to communicate with the child to reduce the readiness and transaction issues
(Whitehurst, 2016).
Lack of proper monitoring to the children in their pre-school is a big drawback of the
early childhood system. Maximum schools provide knowledge to the children while there is the
lack of monitoring process of the children. Besides providing the academic assistance it is crucial

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for the early childhood education system to monitor the activity of the children to identify their
issues regarding the learning (Reardon & Portilla, 2016). Hence, the absence of proper
monitoring process leads the children to face transaction and school readiness issue. Use of
digital tool and reduction of physical education classes are the loopholes of the early childhood
education system. This makes the children mechanical, which inhibits their physical and mental
growth.
Early childhood policy includes high quality to obtain positive outcomes through
enhancing the growth of the children. However, in Australia, there is a big mismatch between the
opportunity and investment in the early childhood policy (Mitchellinstitute.org.au, 2018). The
aim of the early childhood policy is to make a child resilient, creative, entrepreneurial and
capable learners. However, the current early childhood policy of Australia fails to meet such
requirements. Such policy cannot meet the current needs of the children at their early stage of
life. Australia comes from the OECD countries that offer at least pre-school for two years with
high participation rate. In the context of Australia, the early childhood policy is not too effective
to bring children to the school. This is a big disadvantage of this policy, which facilitates the
readiness and transition issue.
As an early childhood educator of the pre-school, I have to interact with the children on a
regular basis. It has been observed that maximum children face readiness issue while they come
to a school. On the other hand, school transition leads them to face a new environment, which is
quite comfortable for them. I have observed that poverty and lack of awareness among the
parents are the major reasons, which prohibits the school transaction. Children get attracted to
the digital tools such as computers and tablets during the digital classroom process. This hampers
the attention of the students and their interest towards the physical activity. I have interacted with

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the family of the children and understand that lack of parent involvement in the teaching process
of the children is a big factor, that causes readiness and transition issue. However, parents give
less time to the students and give them digital tool such as smart phones, computers, and tablets
to calm them. This affects the learning ability of the children and they lose their interest in doing
physical activities. As a result, their growth is inhibited. Therefore, inappropriate advice from the
school to parents makes the transition process difficult. Due to different transition and admission
process, a successful transition is hindered at the early childhood stage.
In order to improve the readiness and transition process providing training to the
educators will be helpful. This will help the early childhood educator to learn the way about how
to interact the children during their learning process (Reardon & Portilla, 2016). As an early
childhood educator by taking training I am able to improve my skill and the way of interaction
with the children. Such training process of the educators will reduce their professional challenges
that they face due to the readiness issue of the children. The education system needs to give an
opportunity to the lower income groups to access their child education properly. By conducting
the panel discussion the education system can reduce the gap between the low-income and
middle-class children.
Parent involvement in the early childhood education will be beneficial to raise the
awareness and educate the parents (Whitehurst, 2016). This will help the parents to understand
the significance of the school transition. Organization of the early childhood campaign will be
a good approach to maximize the school transition process and to reduce the school readiness
issue. Early childhood policy needs to be changed to meet the need of the children during their
learning process. Establishment of the parental class will be significant for the early childhood
education system as it will help the parents to teach their students and to grow their interest in

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their study. This can mitigate the readiness issue of the children. Apart from this counseling of
the children, those are vulnerable to grasp the readiness will be significant to minimize their
readiness issue.
Conclusion
The entire piece of work reveals that readiness and transition issue at the early childhood
is a great concern of the education system, which needs to be overcome. From the above
discussion, it has been identified that in Australia poverty is a major barrier to child education.
This hinders the school transition as well as the readiness of the children. However, the early
childhood education system and policy have a weakness that inhibits the growth of the children
and their learning process. The current early childhood education policy in Australia is not
effective to fulfill the needs of the children and improvement is essential in this policy. High cost
of the education system is another barrier that resists the parents to send their children to school
transition. The above findings show that readiness and school transition issue hampers the
professionals those are associated with the education system. The educators face challenges to
enhance the learning capacity of the children and to identify the way, which makes the children
comfortable in their learning process.
This also leaves a positive impact on the professional life of the educators as they get the
scope to develop themselves professionally. Training of the educators is a good way to improve
their skill while parental involvement is necessary to maximize the readiness and school
transition program. Apart from this incorporation of the physical education classes within the
pre-school activities is a greater approach to enhance the school transition process and the
learning process of the students as these are associated with readiness.

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