Children enter kindergarten with a wide range of previous education experiences: Some have participated in pre-K programs: private, state-funded, or part of Head Start. Others have spent time in a family child care setting or in informal arrangements with family, friends, and neighbors. Regardless, this transition is fraught with stress and uncertainty for many children and their parents. State leaders, as well as elementary and pre-K educators, can ease the transition into kindergarten and by doing so improve the odds that children will succeed in school.