Although the formal definition of kindergarten readiness includes cognitive and social skills, the prerequisite skills tested during the first 30 days of kindergarten by the State of Florida are the academic benchmarks and competencies from the Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) curriculum. Student readiness rates for VPK facilities include…

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a mandatory shift from in-person instruction to online learning for many young children. Teachers needed to adjust to virtual teaching, children were isolated from their peers, and parents played a bigger role in learning during the pandemic. In 2021, the shift back to in-person learning occurred. Research has…

The purpose of the present study was to examine Frog Street Pre-K curriculum efficacy by comparing learning outcomes for pre-K students in schools with access to Frog Street in Texas during the 2021-22 school year to outcomes for pre-K students in Texas schools without Frog Street. This study is designed to replicate and extend those employed by…

This study examined the interrelationships among playfulness, prosocial skills, and school readiness of Hong Kong kindergarten children across time. Participants were 106 local children (55.6% boys, mean age = 60.0 months) and their parents and teachers. At time 1, parents reported their child's age, gender, and playfulness. Six months later at…

This study investigated the impact of parental involvement on school readiness, focusing on the mediating role of preschoolers' self-efficacy. The research utilized a cross-sectional survey design with 1,000 preschool children from seven public kindergartens in Beijing, China. Structural equation modelling was employed for data analysis. The…

The transition to five-year-old kindergarten is a pivotal time in children's development, setting the tone for the children's and their families' subsequent formal education experiences. Establishing connections between home and school is a key to creating a supportive learning environment for every child. This dissertation examines how home…

Elementary school principals play a key role in leading school personnel to provide prekindergartners and kindergartners with the support needed to ensure their short- and long-term school success. Yet, few studies examine how principals conceptualize what it means for children to be ready for school and how principals support students as they…

This basic qualitative study aimed to understand how the results of the kindergarten readiness assessments are used within the classroom for planning curriculum, connecting to learning standards, and implementing individualized instruction, along with kindergarten teachers' perspectives on the usefulness of kindergarten readiness testing. The…

Prekindergarten forms an important transition between home and formal learning in kindergarten, and prekindergarten teachers are essential contributors and influencers in their students' readiness into formal schooling. The problem addressed in this study was early childhood educators in one state in the southwestern United States are challenged…

This study was designed to determine the psychometric properties of the School Readiness Assessment Tool (SRAT), a new measurement tool for assessing school readiness. The measure aims to assess preschool children's school readiness by estimating their academic, motor, social, emotional, and self regulation skills. Both academic and motor skills…

Kindergarten Entry Assessments (KEAs) have grown in popularity over the past decade due to the Race to the Top -- Early Learning Challenge Grant offered by the U.S. Department of Education in 2015. This study addresses kindergarten teachers' perceptions of data from North Carolina's school readiness assessment and their perceptions of what…

Prior research has clearly established the substantial expected payoffs to investments in early childhood education. However, the ability to deliver early childhood programs differs across communities with access to high quality programing especially hard to establish in rural communities. We study one program, Early Steps to School Success, to…

The term "kindergarten readiness" refers to a child's development of skills to effectively learn in a classroom setting, a school's ability to educate students at varying ability levels, and a community's available resources for preparing children to start school. Families living in rural communities, where early childhood education…

Background: Home-visiting programs are an often-used intervention for supporting the well-being of families with young children, and there is long-standing interest among researchers in ensuring the effectiveness of this practice. Especially, retention and attrition play important roles in achieving desired outcomes of the intervention. Objective:…

Research suggests that kindergarten attenders benefit from the time spent learning basic academic and social skills. Skills students learn in kindergarten lead to skills taught in first grade and school readiness; however, many children do not attend kindergarten. The problem under study was that records indicate that many students do not attend…