ABSTRACT
The start of schooling has been perceived as one of the major challenges of early childhood (Ghaye and Pascal 1988; Margetts 2003). However, it is not just children who are involved in the transition: children, parents and educators are all involved with this change (Dockett and Perry 2004). If it is to be successful, then it needs to be a process of co-construction through participation between the institution and the family communicating and working together (Griebel and Niesel 2002). In order to understand the complexity of transition, an ecological concept can be used (Bronfenbrenner 1979) comprising a series of nested structures (microsystems) linked together in a network (the mesosystem) and influenced by the wider society (the macrosystem): in other words, an interlocking set of systems comprising home, early childhood services and school, which provide a bridge between experiences and form a basis for on-going social interactions. The ability to manage a successful transition therefore involves not only the individual child but also the social systems of each setting.
