SchoolReadiness Initiative:

  In January 2001, Governor Davis established a School Readiness Task Force with the purpose of developing a comprehensive program to better prepare children to enter school ready to succeed.

The California Children and Families Commission, School Readiness Task Force and School Readiness Master Plan Work Group all have adopted the National Education Goals Panel (NEGP) definition of “school readiness”:

• Children’s readiness for school (physical well-being and motor development, social and emotional development, approaches to learning, language development, and cognition and general knowledge).
   

• Schools’ readiness for children (transition between home and school, continuity between early care and education programs and kindergarten, a student center environment, etc.)
   

• Family and community supports and services that contribute to children’s readiness for school success (access to high-quality and developmentally appropriate early care and education experiences, prenatal care, nutrition, physical activity and health care that children need to arrive at school with healthy minds and bodies and to maintain mental alertness, etc.)

All School Readiness efforts will address California’s cultural and linguistic diversity, in addition to issues for children with disabilities and other special needs.

Riverside County Children and Families Commission (RCCFC):

The purpose of the School Readiness Initiative is to improve the ability of families, schools and communities to prepare children to enter school ready to succeed.  This will be accomplished through incentive matching funds to RCCFC that fund locally tailored School Readiness Programs in communities served by schools primarily in the lowest 3 deciles of the Academic Performance Index.

These funds are offered to coordinate, develop, implement and sustain a system of collaborative school-linked services, programs and informal supports based on research or promising practices to improve ‘school readiness’ for children, families, communities, and schools. 

The goal is for local School Readiness programs to restructure and coordinate the delivery of:

There are more highlights and resources available on the School Readiness initiative. For more information, please visit the California Children and Families Commission website: www.ccfc.ca.gov under School Readiness.

For more information, please contact Stella Smith. She may be reached at:
First 5 Riverside, 2002 Iowa Avenue, Suite 100, Riverside, CA 92507
Tel: (951) 248-0014 FAX: (951) 248-0079 E-Mail: first5@rccfc.org