Whether the transition to primary school is smooth or abrupt for children depends on whether early childhood and elementary school programs work together to build bridges between their services. This report presents several examples of collaborative efforts to smooth the transition to school. Specifically, it describes how various elements of five transition programs are being developed in a programmatic way and carried out in practice. The five programs are: Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Projects in Santa Clara (California), Reno (Nevada), and Phoenix (Arizona) respectively; VIP (Very Important Preschoolers) Village in San Diego (California); and the Transitional Bilingual Education Program in Irvine (California). The bulk of the report describes how each program has enacted eight elements of a quality transition program. These elements are: (1) shared leadership and decision making; (2) comprehensive and integrated services for children and their families; (3) education, involvement, and empowerment of families; (4) sensitivity to home culture and home language; (5) communication; (6) joint staff development; (7) developmentally appropriate practices; and (8) program evaluation. The programs also demonstrate several additional principles involved in the transition programs: that transition activities need to be ongoing and coordinated and must focus on both families and children; that parents need to be familiar with teachers, curriculum, and their children's development and education; and that communication and collaboration among different partners, including parents, facilitate transitions between educational and service settings. The report concludes by noting that an effective transition program should support continuity which must be comprehensive and is dependent on a close partnership among preschools, families, and communities. An appendix presents a list of the program contacts. Contains 23 references. (AP)