School Readiness Is More Than What Children Know – It is Multidimensional
Language, pre-literacy, and numeric skills are important to school success but represent only one dimension of school readiness.
Physical, social, and emotional development (paying attention, following instructions and rules, getting along well with others) are also fundamental to learning in school.
School “Unreadiness” Is Expensive
Up to half of school problems and eventual school dropouts start with children entering school developmentally behind.
The costs to society of children not being ready to start school include health-related costs, extra educational costs to try to catch up (special education), juvenile delinquency, and adult corrections costs.
Quality Matters
Child Care quality matters for all children: good care improves development, while poor care can cause damage.
From: Seven Things Policy Makers Need to Know about School Readiness, State Early Childhood Policy Technical Assistance Network, Charles Bruner, with Sheri Floyd and Abby Copeman, January 2005
