Examined usefulness of the Gesell Preschool Test (GPT), a developmental readiness test used by teachers and school psychologists to determine a child's readiness to begin formal instruction. Results revealed that, after accounting for effects of math and reading achievement, GPT failed to contribute to the discrimination of 30 retained and 58…

Results are reported on the literacy and numeracy skills of a sample of Black and White United Kingdom children just prior to entry into 33 Inner London Education Authority infant schools. There were few differences in children's test scores attributable to ethnic origin. (Author/CT)

The present study found that preschool education as given by a public agency with limitations of space, play equipment, and inadequate funds positively affected a group of underprivileged children entering primary school (252 5-year-olds). The School Readiness Scale tested reading and number readiness. (JH)

The children born this year--2004--will be eleven years old in 2015--the age of primary school completion in most countries. This is the MDG (Millennium Development Goal) generation--for whom the international community has pledged that by 2015, all children will be able to complete primary schooling. Ensuring good early child development is the…

Parents, policymakers, business leaders, and the general public increasingly recognize the importance of the first few years in the life of a child for promoting healthy physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development. Yet many children face deficiencies in the years leading up to school entry in terms of emotional support, intellectual…

This guide is intended to help collaborative groups work together more effectively to promote children's readiness for school and provides useful information on the many factors that affect school readiness. The guide notes North Carolina's definition of school readiness as the condition of children as they enter school, based on five…

Academic redshirting, the practice of postponing a child's entry into kindergarten, is intended to give a child an extra year to become ready for school, an especially important goal given the increasing academic demands of early elementary years. This digest presents information about the incidence of redshirting, and summarizes some of the…

This report, the first in the National Center for Early Development & Learning's (NCEDL) "Spotlight" series, is based on a summary of results from a national survey of nearly 3,600 kindergarten teachers by NCEDL. The survey identified teachers' areas of concern regarding transition to school, looked at transition practices, and asked…

Research confirms that readiness skills for literacy and mathematics begin at birth and are developed in combination with life experiences. This guide provides early childhood educators a set of basic guidelines or Foundation Blocks in literacy and mathematics, with indicators of success for entering kindergarten based on scientifically-based…

Discriminant validity of a measure of children's readiness for school was assessed by testing whether it distinguished between groups of children hypothesized to differ, on the basis of demographic characteristics, in their school readiness. The volunteer sample consisted of 3,370 kindergartners in Vermont public schools. Previous group care…

Universal prekindergarten (UPK) refers to the goal of making available to families of all 3- and 4-year-olds a program of services that provides high quality education for children and helps to prepare them for a successful entry to kindergarten. Virtually every state is engaged in discussions about prekindergarten programs, and many models are…

Noting that kindergarten entry is an exciting time requiring adjustments for children and their parents, this Smart Start brochure gives parents ideas on how to help their children be successful in school and what to expect when school starts. The brochure defines readiness and offers suggestions for parents to help their children develop in the…

The Early Development Instrument (EDI) was designed by McMaster University to measure the outcomes of childrens early years as they influence their readiness to learn at school. The EDI was piloted in several Canadian cities in recent years through two national initiatives. Building on these initiatives, Alberta Learning piloted the EDI as a…

Recognizing that children's earliest years are critical, stakeholders in Delaware have joined together to define what types of experiences children should ideally have before they enter kindergarten. A statewide committee with policymakers, parents, and representatives from the early care and education community, schools, higher education, and…

This paper focuses on how parents, childcare personnel, preprimary and primary educators, and governments all have a role to play in supporting children's early literacy development. For two decades early childhood and literacy education journals have been filled with explorations about the perennial questions which relate to the relationships…