In this issue, we're sharing a new policy brief highlighting ways to improve children's transition to school.

Early Learning Network research finds that stronger alignment between pre-K and kindergarten may help ease stressful transitions and maintain the advantages children gain from pre-K.

In the brief, we explore factors in pre-K and kindergarten that typically lack alignment and offer recommendations program decision-makers can use to ease the transition between settings.

The Early Learning Network, funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, leverages its expertise, resources and geographic diversity to help close the achievement gap and maintain early learning success as children transition from preschool to third grade. Together, network researchers from universities and organizations across the U.S. are examining current policies and practices, identifying malleable factors associated with early learning and achievement and developing tools to assess early learning instruction, interactions and environments. Learn more at earlylearningnetwork.unl.edu.