"Bye, Mum. See ya later." As Kate listens to the familiar phrase and watches five year-old Kyle walk jauntily through the playground and disappear through the big yellow doors that will lead him to his kindergarten class, she feels both pleased and relieved that her son is adjusting well to school.

Like most parents, Kate is well aware that the beginning years of school are crucial, often determining whether or not a child will like or dislike school. Positive experiences can lay the foundation for both academic and career success. Similarly negative experiences can establish a pattern of failure and frustration.

There is much a parent can do to make the adjustment to school a positive transition. Kate, for instance, has been readying Kyle for school since he was a toddler. She has, for example, helped her son develop a positive self-image by repeatedly letting him know that he is both loved and capable.

Kate has also prepared Kyle for the transition to school by building flexibility into the home environment. Occasionally letting a child stay up late to watch a favorite show or giving in once to a request for a pizza breakfast can bring a sense of spontaneity to family life. The novel experiences can also make it easier for children to cope with changes in the larger world.

There's one other important step Kate took to assist her son as he began his academic journey. She contacted her local school prior to Kyle's enrollment in kindergarten. Her purpose in doing so was to ensure that her son would be entering a child-centered environment, which would encourage exploration and discovery. Kate also wanted to let the school administrators know that she expected to be an active partner in her child's education. Knowing full well the benefits of a positive home-school relationship, it was an offer the principal and teachers at Kyle's new school welcomed.

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