Tōku mātauranga oranga: Making visible the learning journey from early childhood education into school

When children in Aotearoa New Zealand begin school at 5 years of age they take with them a wealth of learning. For the majority of children transitioning from early childhood education to school this learning has been documented in portfolios. In many cases, and for many reasons, these portfolios are not shared with the school. However, teachers in a number of early childhood centres and schools have explored ways in which this sharing can contribute to continuity for the child and their family across education settings, while strengthening the children’s learning. The strong connections between the early childhood education curriculum Te Whāriki and the revised New Zealand Curriculum in 2007 provided one early childhood centre with the impetus to develop a meaningful way of sharing some of the critical learning of children transitioning from early childhood education to school.