Studies show that educational achievement gaps already exist at Kindergarten entry.  Children from low-income families are more likely to start school with limited language skills, health problems and social and emotional problems that interfere with learning.  The larger the gap at school entry, the harder it is to close.

Schools can improve the readiness of young children by making connections with local child care providers and preschools by creating policies that ensure smooth transitions to kindergarten.  Schools must be ready to address the diverse needs of the children and families in their community and be committed to the success of every child. 

 







Click here to see the prioritized indicators of language and literacy development created during the Residency Roundtable.

Other resources:

Access to Print: Problem, Consequences and Instructional Solutions (2001). Speech given by Susan Neuman during the White House Summit on Early Childhood Cognitive Development, July 26-27, 2001. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
Click here to download this speech.

Beginning Literacy With Language (2001). David Dickinson and Patton Tabors, Baltimore, MD: Paul Brookes Publishing Company.
Click here to order this publication.

Bilingualism and Literacy: Problem or Opportunity? A Synthesis of Reading Research on Bilingual Students (April 2000). From the Proceedings of A Research Symposium on High Standards in Reading for Students From Diverse Language Groups: Research, Practice & Policy, April 19-20, 2000. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
Click here to download this publication.

Born to Learn: Language, Reading, and the Brain of the Child (2001). Speech given by Patricia K. Kuhl during the White House Summit on Early Childhood Cognitive Development, July 26-27, 2001. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
Click here to download this speech.

Fostering Language and Literacy in Classrooms and Homes (March 2002). In Young Children vol. 57 no. 2. David Dickinson and Patton Tabors, Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Click here to order this publication.

Good Start, Grow Smart: The Bush Administration's Early Childhood Initiative (2002).
Click here to download this publication.

The Head Start Path to Positive Child Outcomes (July 2001). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.
Click here to download this publication (pdf format).

Home Literacy Activities and Signs of Children's Emerging Literacy, 1993 and 1999 (November 1999). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
Click here to download this publication.

Intergenerational Transfer of Literacy (January 1996). Commissioned paper for Family Literacy: Directions in Research and Implications for Practice. Catherine Snow and Patton Tabors, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
Click here to download this publication.

Language and Literacy for All Children (2001). In Head Start Bulletin Issue Number 24. Washington, DC: Patton Tabors, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.
Click here to download this publication.

No Child Left Behind Policy Brief: Literacy (2002). Kristie Kauerz, Denver, CO: Education Commission of the States.
Click here to download this publication (pdf format).

Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (September 2001). Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy.
Click here to download this publication (pdf format).

Responding to Linguistic and Cultural Diversity: Recommendations for Effective Early Childhood Education (1995). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Click here to download this publication.

The Role of Parents and Grandparents in Children's Cognitive Development: Focus on Language and Literacy (2001). Speech given by Dorothy S. Strickland during the White House Summit on Early Childhood Cognitive Development, July 26-27, 2001. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
Click here to download this speech.

Supporting Cognitive Development in Early Childhood (2001). Speech given by Susan H. Landry during the White House Summit on Early Childhood Cognitive Development, July 26-27, 2001. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
Click here to download this speech.
       

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The School Readiness Indicators Initiative is supported by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Ford Foundation.
The 17-state initiative is managed by Rhode Island KIDS COUNT