The Bridge to School provides targeted information for teachers who work in Pre-K or Transitional Kindergarten settings, covering both the why and the how of play in classrooms, along with insights into how the normal development of 4-to-6-year-olds is manifested and how teachers can harness and work with those typical needs and behaviors. The Bridge to School is a must-read for anyone interested in having a window into what high quality, developmentally responsive PreK and transitional Kindergarten programs look like from the inside. Through rich descriptions of early learning environments and expansive descriptions of practical strategies, readers are introduced to the nuts and bolts of programs and classrooms that optimally support young children's brain and whole body development. Teachers and administrators charged with creating PreK and TK programs that truly build the cognitive, social-emotional, and physical skills and knowledge that children need for future educational success will find The Bridge to School to be the most valuable, inspiring, and essential roadmap to guide their way. Julie Nicholson, Ph.D., Deputy Director, WestEd, Center for Child and Family Studies, and Associate Professor of Practice, Mills College, School of Education