Calm and Alert – Ready to Learn: A transition program created by families, EC services and schools

This project will investigate the effectiveness of a play-based program to enhance pre-schoolers’ self-regulation (SR) in the transition to school, with a particular focus on children and families from diverse backgrounds and those experiencing risk or vulnerability. The program will be co-designed with families, Early Childhood (EC) educators, and school teachers. The program will subsequently be trialed in a pilot study involving two transition teams (EC providers and schools). Children’s SR, learning dispositions, and developmentally appropriate academic learning will be assessed following a quasi-experimental pre-/post-test design. Findings will inform a funding application for a larger scale study that will scale-out the program more widely in the ACT and/or into other jurisdictions.