Getting Ready

Family Fact

Children are more likely to succeed in school when their families are economically secure and have healthy relationships.

Starting Behind

At least half of the educational achievement gaps between poor and non-poor kids exist at kindergarten entry, according to research.

A Major Hurdle

The initiative identified seven challenges to enhancing school readiness. One biggie? Bridging the artificial divide between the early learning years and the K-12 system.

Including Diversity

Efforts to improve school readiness are most effective when they embrace the rich cultural and language backgrounds of families and children

Reading Readiness

Students who cannot read proficiently by fourth grade are more likely to be absent from school, exhibit behavior problems, have low self-confidence and perform poorly in school.