School readiness is more than just about children.
School readiness, in the broadest sense,
involves children, families, early environments,
schools, and communities (NASBE 1991). Children
are not innately ready or not ready for school.
Their skills and development are strongly influenced
by their families and through their interactions
with other people and environments before
coming to school. With 81 percent of U.S. children
in nonparental care arrangements the year before
kindergarten (West, Denton, & Germino-Hausken
2000), child care centers and family child care
homes are important early environments that
affect children’s development and learning.
Schools are also an important piece of the
readiness puzzle because different schools have
different expectations about readiness. The same
child, with the same strengths and needs, can be
considered ready in one school and not ready in
another school. It is the school’s responsibility to
educate all children who are old enough to legally
attend school, regardless of their skills (see
“Characteristics of Ready Schools”).