Preparing children for Kindergarten: Practices and concerns of low-income stay-at-home peri-urban mothers

Abstract

This paper focuses on transition practices and concerns of 20 low-income stay-at-home peri- urban mothers as they prepare their children for Kindergarten. The children did not have any prior preschool experience. They were chosen through purposive sampling and were interviewed and observed as they engaged in transition practices. The findings provided information about the nature of the mothers’ involvement in their children’s developmental needs and the provision of a supportive home environment for children. Transition practices of mothers include academic preparation, school visits, buying school supplies, social reminders, and adjusting routines. They tend to focus on paper-and-pen activities, such as writing and coloring, using the workbooks and worksheets of their older children or what they had previously purchased. Future studies may include a bigger sample size and other geographical locations and examine how a variety of initiatives assists families in preparing their children for Kindergarten. Studies may also explore how families prepare children for remote learning in the context of pandemics and disasters.