Note: please note that this issue brief should (a) link back to the issue overview on this topic, (b) be focused either the local, state, national, or global level, and (c) be neutrally presented, based on facts, and include footnotes for each of the items.  See the Research Guide and Information Sources to assist you. 

Link here to the School Readiness issue overview.

Scope of the Problem  factual statements on the extent of the problem in the past, current, or future

• Gaps in school readiness are most likely caused by family socioeconomic status, parenting, child health, maternal health, and preschool attendance.
• Even though little can be done to affect the first four factors, preschool attendance is a necessary step to help underprivileged children be prepared for kindergarten
• In 2002 the National Assessment of  Youth Progress found that 16% of Black and 22% of Hispanics children had a "solid academic performance" in twelfth grade reading. The same study found that the White students averaged at 42%.  Much of this low-performing academic behavior took root in young grades like kindergarten. ^[1]
• In the late 1990s, 46% of 3,500 kindergarten teachers reported that more than half of their students had problems following directions
• Graph of average Social Skills Gap 
• children from low-income households enter school with one-fourth of the vocabulary of middle-class students. By the time he or she enters first grade, a middle-class child has gained approximately a 20,000-word vocabulary; in contrast, a child from low-income household has gained only a 5,000-word vocabulary.

•  An increasing percentage of women with young children are joining the workforce. More than 60 percent of mothers with preschool-age children are in the workforce, compared to 37 percent in 1975.

• in 1996, 75.8 percent of children four years old from households with an annual income of $50,000 or more were enrolled in preschool education programs, compared to 50.6 percent of children from households with an income of between $20,001 and $35,000.

• In 2000, More than two-thirds of all states do not require child care center teachers to complete any specialized training, and threefourths either do not require or do not regulate preservice training for family child care providers.

Past Policy  key legislation and milestones including significant policy and funding shifts, major studies, etc.

• The Little School of the 400:  created in 1957 to meet the educational needs of Spanish speaking children in Texas. The goal of the program was to teach 400 basic English words to help Spanish-speaking children to manage instruction given in English in the regular public educational system.

Current Policy  summary of current policies in the form of legislation, programs, and funding

• Head Start: Created in 1965, Head Start is the most successful, longest running, national school readiness program in the United States. Head Start is a child-centered, family focused, comprehensive and community-based program. More than 21 million preschool-aged children have benefited from Head Start.  

• Goal:  To prepare at risk children with preparation for elementary education that they would not otherwise receive. To provide comprehensive education, health, nutrition, mental health, social services, and parent involvement opportunities to low income children and their families

  Graph of Average Spending per Child in Abbott School District

• Early Head Start – Promotes healthy prenatal outcomes, promotes healthy family the development of infants and toddlers beginning as young as newborn infants.

• Family and Community Partnerships – Head Start offers parents opportunities and support as they identify and meet their own goals, nurture the development of their children in the context of their family and culture, and advocate for communities that are supportive of children and families of all cultures. The building of trusting, collaborative relationships between parents and staff allows them to share with and to learn from one another.

   

   

Key Organizations/Individuals   contacts for public and private organizations and key individuals

• Government
•  
• Non-Profit - Service Providing
• The Building Bridges Project 
• Non-Profit - Advocacy/Membership/Network
• National Head Start Association
• National Prekindergarten Center
• Zero to Three  
• National Association for the Education of Young Children is a membership-based organization and the worlds largest advocacy group working on behalf of young children.
• The Children's Defense Fund is a non-profit advocacy group for children taking a holistic approach to the child to ensure children a "strong start".
• Foundation
• The First Five Years Fund is an which uses private sector funding to advocate on behalf early learning initiatives at the federal level.
• Other
•  Chicago Longitudinal Study, part of the Child-Parent Center and Expansion Program

Bibliography   web sites, reports, articles, and other reference material 

• School Readiness: Closing Racial and Ethnic Gaps

• National Resource Center for Community-Based Family Resource and Support Programs.

  Programs Promote and Expand parent leadership. 

  Kansas Parent Information Resource Center (KPIRC) To provide training, information, and support to parents, schools, districts and other organizations that carry out parent education and family involvement programs.

  Key indicators for policy development Readiness report 

   

Footnotes

1. http://www.futureofchildren.org/usr_doc/Volume_15_No_1.pdf ▲