Navigating Discrete Pedagogical Orientations: Transitioning from Child Care Centres to Kindergartens

The transition from childcare centres to kindergartens is a key juncture in ECEC, especially within Greece’s split-governance system. Childcare centres (6 months–4 years) are non-compulsory and lack a statutory pedagogical framework, whereas kindergartens (4–6 years) belong to the formal system with a mandated curriculum—arrangements that complicate pedagogical continuity and transition process. Despite international policy attention, empirical research on this specific move in Greece is scarce. This study examines (a) the pedagogical practices used to support children’s transitions, (b) strategies used or proposed to foster collaboration between the two settings, and (c) professionals’ perspectives on pedagogical continuity and discontinuity. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 40 educators and kindergarten teachers, the analysis identifies a range of routines and tools, uneven collaboration, and competing role conceptions, alongside concrete proposals for improvement. The findings clarify where continuity is visible and where it frays, and they inform policy directions—such as light, system-wide minima and clearer guidance—aimed at strengthening early ECEC in Greece.