AN APPROACH TO SCHOOL READINESS IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA

A strong foundation for success in school and throughout life results from families, schools, and communities providing safe, stable, and nurturing environments during a child's earliest years when brain architecture is developing most rapidly.

A common understanding of school readiness provides the opportunity to align and promote equitable policy, practice, and investments that support the healthy development of children from birth to age eight. Agencies and organizations across Georgia worked together to articulate a shared vision of school readiness and accompanying "Framework for Action,” linked on this page below.

What is School Readiness?

School readiness is multifaceted and not defined by a single indicator.

School readiness requires families, schools, and communities to work together to provide the healthy foundation that supports children's growth in the following fundamental domains:

• Physical development, including physical health, well-being, and motor skills;
• Social-emotional development, including self-regulation and relationships with peers and adults;
• Cognition and general knowledge, including mathematics and problem-solving;
• Language & literacy development, including language understanding and use, emergent literacy, and early writing; and
• Approaches to learning, including initiative, attentiveness, persistence, and play.

Framework for Action

Families, educators, community leaders, policymakers, and health and service providers all play a role in assuring that every child has access to the experiences and supports needed to enter kindergarten prepared for success in school and throughout life. Because children’s early experiences and development vary, a coordinated effort to understand and respond to children’s needs is essential.