KINDERGARTEN READINESS

Orange County uses the Early Development Index (EDI) to measure children’s readiness for school. The EDI – conducted during the kindergarten year – assesses children’s development by using a questionnaire filled out by kindergarten teachers for every child in their class. It tracks five areas of a child’s development: language and cognitive development; communication skills and general knowledge; social competence; emotional maturity; and physical health and wellbeing. In 2015, comprehensive EDI data was available for children enrolled in public school for the first time in Orange County and thus serves as a baseline to measure changes in incoming kindergarten class readiness over time.

Why is this important?

Long-term, a child’s academic success is heavily dependent upon their readiness for kindergarten. Children who enter school with early skills, such as basic knowledge of math and reading concepts as well as communication, language, social competence and emotional maturity, are more likely than their peers without such skills to experience later academic success, attain higher levels of education and secure employment.1 Factors that influence kindergarten readiness include family and community supports and environments, as well as children’s early development opportunities and experiences. The EDI is one way to assess how well communities are preparing its children for school.

Findings

• In 2018, 53.2% of children in Orange County were developmentally ready for kindergarten, a 2.5% increase from 2015 at 51.9%. Children are considered developmentally ready for school if they are on track in all five areas assessed (or in all four areas if only four areas were assessed).

• Among kindergartners, the areas of greatest vulnerabilities are language and cognitive development (26% vulnerable or at-risk) and communication skills and general knowledge (26%). Fewer percentage of children are vulnerable or at risk in social competence (21%), physical health and well-being (20%) and emotional maturity (19%).

• The five developmental areas are made up of 16 sub areas which are measured by a child’s readiness (ready, somewhat ready or not ready). Within these sub areas, children are least ready in their communication skills and general knowledge (59% not ready or somewhat ready), prosocial and helping behavior (58%), overall social competence (53%), and gross and fine motor skills (48%).

• Communities with the highest percentage of students developmentally ready for school include North Tustin at 76.5% (102 EDI records), followed by Ladera Ranch at 76.0% (334), Los Alamitos at 67.8% (118) and Coto de Caza at 66.7% (51).2

• The lowest percentage of students ready for school are in the communities of Midway City at 36.2% (94), followed by Santa Ana at 44.1% (3,940), and Laguna Beach at 45.4% (97).