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Despite their potentially central role in fostering school readiness, executive function (EF) skills have received little explicit attention in the design and evaluation of school readiness interventions for socioeconomically disadvantaged children. The present study examined a set of five EF measures in the context of a randomized-controlled trial of a research-based intervention integrated into Head Start programs (Head Start REDI). Three hundred fifty-six 4-year-old children (17% Hispanic, 25% African American; 54% girls) were followed over the course of the prekindergarten year. Initial EF predicted gains in cognitive and social–emotional skills and moderated the impact of the Head Start REDI intervention on some outcomes. The REDI intervention promoted gains on two EF measures, which partially mediated intervention effects on school readiness. We discuss the importance of further study of the neurobiological bases of school readiness, the implications for intervention design, and the value of incorporating markers of neurobiological processes into school readiness interventions.

Background Research has consistently shown that some children are more vulnerable at the time of school readiness. Better understanding the characteristics of these children is therefore important. Most studies have used a variable-based approach, which may mask the presence of small but important subgroups of children with mixed patterns of readiness strengths and weaknesses. Identifying subgroups with mixed readiness patterns using a person-centered approach matters because their developmental trajectories might differ in important ways from children with broader difficulties across all readiness domains. Objective This systematic review attempts to synthesize existing profiles of school readiness conducted on preschool-aged children and to describe how these various profiles are associated with children’s academic achievement and social adjustment during their school years. Specifically, we described how the school readiness profiles vary in number of profiles identified and differences in the specific domains of school readiness. We further describe the school readiness profiles and how they predict later academic and social outcomes. Furthermore, we focus on profile differences between at-risk and non-at-risk preschoolers. Methods Longitudinal studies published between 2005 and 2022 on profiles of school readiness before school entry and at least one subsequent academic and/or social outcomes were extracted from five databases. Eight articles were included in this systematic review out of the 117 screened peer-reviewed articles. Results All the studies incorporated both the cognitive and socioemotional domains of school readiness in their profiles. Fifteen profiles of school readiness at preschool age were identified based on the child level of cognitive and socioemotional skills, with 7 profiles at risk of later academic and social difficulties. Despite variation, children in these at-risk profiles of school readiness shared similar features. Conclusion This literature review provides an exhaustive summary on the number of profiles and domains of school readiness most frequently reported in studies using a person-centered approach. Yielding an in-depth description of at-risk profiles of school readiness can help designing early preventive intervention for these children.

This study explored the associations between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and functioning across several school readiness domains among preschoolers with disruptive behavior problems. The sample included 115 children (M age = 5.18, 67.8% male; 32.2% female) from a large, urban, high-poverty community, with predominantly Black families, who were about to enroll in a summer treatment program prior to kindergarten. As part of pre-treatment assessments, caregivers completed interviews and questionnaires about adverse experiences and stressors in their children’s lives. Children’s behavioral, academic, and social functioning were also assessed at this time. We identified exposure to ACEs using multimodal parent reports. A path analysis was conducted between preschoolers’ exposures to ACEs and their school readiness, covarying outcomes with one another to isolate the effect of ACEs. Our findings indicate a dose-effect, such that exposure to a higher number of ACEs is significantly associated with more severe disruptive behaviors, internalizing problems, and global impairment in the child’s functioning. However, there were no significant associations between total number of ACEs and academic or social functioning. Notably, the prevalence of ACEs among this sample of preschoolers living in highly under-resourced communities was strikingly higher than national samples, with 93.9% of parents reporting exposure to at least one ACE by age 5, compared to 19–26% in a nationally samples; moreover, 62.6% experienced 3 or more ACEs, compared to 5.35% in same-aged samples (Briggs-Gowan et al., 2010 ; Jackson et al., 2021 ). Our study contributes to the growing literature on the importance of recognizing the heightened risk of early and compounding adversity in school readiness outcomes for young children with special needs. Implications for early intervention timing and the need to consider readiness for preschool are discussed. Study Highlights We investigate associations between adversity and school readiness in preschoolers with disruptive behaviors living in a low income community. We identify exposure to ACEs using multimodal parent report from clinical interviews and surveys. We find that 94% of participants had experienced at least 1 ACE and 49% had experienced 4 or more. We find a dose effect between number of ACEs and severity of disruptive and internalizing problems, and global impairment.

Purpose: This study was designed to (a) identify sociodemographic, pregnancy and birth, family health, and parenting and child care risk factors for being a late talker at 24 months of age; (b) determine whether late talkers continue to have low vocabulary at 48 months; and (c) investigate whether being a late talker plays a unique role in children's school readiness at 60 months. Method: We analyzed data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, a population-based sample of 9,600 children. Data were gathered when the children were 9, 24, 48, and 60 months old. Results: The risk of being a late talker at 24 months was significantly associated with being a boy, lower socioeconomic status, being a nonsingleton, older maternal age at birth, moderately low birth weight, lower quality parenting, receipt of day care for less than 10 hr/week, and attention problems. Being a late talker increased children's risk of having low vocabulary at 48 months and low school readiness at 60 months. Family socioeconomic status had the largest and most profound effect on children's school readiness. Conclusions: Limited vocabulary knowledge at 24 and 48 months is uniquely predictive of later school readiness. Young children with low vocabularies require additional supports prior to school entry.

Background Not being in employment, education, or training (NEET) is associated with poor health (physical and mental) and social exclusion. We investigated whether England’s statutory school readiness measure conducted at 4–5 years provides a risk signal for NEET in late adolescence. Methods We identified 8,118 individuals with school readiness measures at 4–5 years and NEET records at 16–17 years using Connected Bradford, a bank of linked routinely collected datasets. Children were categorised as ‘school ready’ if they reached a ‘Good Level of Development’ on the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile. We used probit regression and structural equation modelling to investigate the relationship between school readiness and NEET status and whether it primarily relates to academic attainment. Results School readiness was significantly associated with NEET status. A larger proportion of young people who were not school ready were later NEET (11%) compared to those who were school ready (4%). Most of this effect was attributable to shared relationships with academic attainment, but there was also a direct effect. Measures of deprivation and Special Educational Needs were also strong predictors of NEET status. Conclusions NEET risk factors occur early in life. School readiness measures could be used as early indicators of risk, with interventions targeted to prevent the long-term physical and mental health problems associated with NEET, especially in disadvantaged areas. Primary schools are therefore well placed to be public health partners in early intervention strategies.

School readiness during early childhood is crucial for future academic success. Existing guidelines recommend a comprehensive approach. This concurrent validation study developed a School Readiness Index (SRI) with five readiness domains: early learning skills, approach to learning, cognitive skills, socioemotional development, and physical health. Through a cross-sectional comparative design, the school readiness skills of 119 Puerto Rican children (63 males, 56 females) aged 54–65 months were assessed using standardized tests (e.g., Batería IV Woodcock-Muñoz and NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery), parental questionnaires (e.g., Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3), and physical health assessments. Each measure was scored and classified using a binary coding system (0 and 1) based on participant abilities (e.g., 1 for expected performance, 0 if below expectations). A composite SRI score was calculated using 25 indicators. Discriminant validity was assessed by comparing children’s registration status in the special education program (SEP). Sex, household income, and maternal education are key determinants of school readiness. Children registered in the SEP had significantly lower composite scores than those not registered, supporting the SRI’s discriminant validity. The SRI is a reliable tool for identifying Hispanic children from Puerto Rico who may benefit from additional support. Inclusive and multidisciplinary assessment strategies are essential.

We examined the long‐term direct and indirect links between coparenting (conflict, communication, and shared decision‐making) and preschoolers' school readiness (math, literacy, and social skills). The study sample consisted of 5,650 children and their biological mothers and fathers who participated in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study‐Birth Cohort. Using structural equation modeling and controlling for background characteristics, we found that our conceptual model of the pathways from coparenting to child outcomes is structurally the same for cohabiting and married families. Controlling for a host of background characteristics, we found that coparenting conflict and shared decision‐making were negatively and positively, respectively, linked to children's academic and social skills and co‐parental communication was indirectly linked to academic and social skills through maternal supportiveness. Coparenting conflict was also indirectly linked to children's social skills through maternal depressive symptoms. The overall findings suggest that for both cohabiting and married families, the context of conflicted coparenting may interfere with the development of children's social competencies and academic skills, whereas collaborative coparenting promotes children's school readiness because mothers are more responsive to their children's needs. These findings have implications for programs aimed at promoting positive family processes in cohabiting and married families. 摘要我们考察了共同养育(冲突、交流和共同决策)与学龄前儿童入学准备(数学、识字和社交技能)之间的长期直接和间接联系。研究样本包括5,650名儿童及其亲生父母。这些父母参与了早期儿童纵向研究——出生队列。通过使用结构等式模拟及控制背景特征,我们发现,从共同养育到儿童发展成果路径的概念模式在结构上与同居和已婚家庭一致。我们在控制众多背景特征后发现,共同养育冲突和共同决策与孩子的学业和社交技能消极和积极关联,而共同养育交流通过母亲的支持间接地与学业和社交技能关联。共同养育冲突也通过母亲的抑郁症状间接地与孩子的社交技能关联。综合发现表明,对于同居和已婚家庭,冲突性共同养育的环境可能干扰孩子的社交能力和学业技能,而协作式共同养育则促进孩子做好入学准备,因为母亲对孩子的需求反应更为灵敏。这些发现对促进同居和已婚家庭的正面家庭运作过程有意义。 ResumenAnalizamos los vínculos directos e indirectos a largo plazo entre la cocrianza (el conflicto, la comunicación y la toma de decisiones compartida) y la madurez para la escolaridad de los niños en edad preescolar (matemática, lectoescritura y habilidades sociales). La muestra del estudio consistió en 5650 niños y sus madres y padres biológicos que participaron en el “Estudio Longitudinal de la Primera Infancia, Cohorte de Nacimiento”. Utilizando modelos de ecuaciones estructurales y controlando las características del entorno, descubrimos que nuestro modelo conceptual de las vías que abarcan desde la cocrianza hasta los resultados de los niños es estructuralmente el mismo tanto para las familias formadas por padres concubinos como para las formadas por padres casados. Mediante la evaluación de un sinfín de características del entorno, descubrimos que el conflicto en la cocrianza y la toma de decisiones compartida estuvieron ligados de manera negativa y positiva, respectivamente, a las habilidades académicas y sociales de los niños, y que la comunicación entre el padre y la madre estuvo ligada indirectamente a las habilidades académicas y sociales a través del apoyo materno. El conflicto en la cocrianza también estuvo asociado indirectamente con las habilidades sociales de los niños mediante síntomas depresivos de la madre. Los resultados generales sugieren que tanto para las familias formadas por padres concubinos como para las formadas por padres casados el contexto de cocrianza conflictiva puede obstaculizar el desarrollo de las competencias sociales y las habilidades académicas de los niños, mientras que la cocrianza colaboradora fomenta la madurez para la escolaridad porque las madres responden mejor a las necesidades de sus hijos. Estos resultados tienen consecuencias para los programas orientados a promover los procesos familiares positivos en las familias formadas por parejas en concubinato y las formadas por parejas casadas.

Background The primary aim of this study was to determine if screen use in early childhood is associated with overall vulnerability in school readiness at ages 4 to 6 years, as measured by the Early Development Instrument (EDI). Secondary aims were to: (1) determine if screen use was associated with individual EDI domains scores, and (2) examine the association between screen use and EDI domains scores among a subgroup of high screen users. Methods This prospective cohort study was carried out using data from young children participating in a large primary care practice-based research network in Canada. Logistic regression analyses were run to investigate the association between screen use and overall vulnerability in school readiness. Separate linear regression models examined the relationships between children’s daily screen use and each separate continuous EDI domain. Results A total of 876 Canadian participants participated in this study. Adjusted logistic regression revealed an association between increased screen use and increased vulnerability in school readiness ( p = 0.05). Results from adjusted linear regression demonstrated an association between higher screen use and reduced language and cognitive development domain scores ( p = 0.004). Among high screen users, adjusted linear regression models revealed associations between increased screen use and reduced language and cognitive development ( p = 0.004) and communication skills and general knowledge domain scores ( p = 0.042). Conclusions Screen use in early childhood is associated with increased vulnerability in developmental readiness for school, with increased risk for poorer language and cognitive development in kindergarten, especially among high users.

School organizational readiness to implement interventions may play an important role for the actual obtained implementation level, and knowledge about organizational readiness prior to intervention start can help pinpoint how to optimize support to the schools. In this study, we applied a novel heuristic, R = MC2 to assess school organizational readiness prior to implementation of a multicomponent smoking prevention program. Furthermore, we examined the association to actual implementation after the first year of study. We used questionnaire data from school coordinators at 40 schools in Denmark who had accepted to implement the multi-component smoking prevention intervention—X:IT II—in the school year 2017–2018 including three main components: (1) Rules on smoke-free school time, (2) A smoke-free curriculum, and (3) Parental involvement. On behalf of the school, a school coordinator answered a baseline questionnaire about the organizational readiness and a follow-up questionnaire about implementation of the three components after first year of study. Readiness was measured by summing aspects of motivation (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, and priority), general capacity (culture, climate, and staff capacity), and innovation-specific capacity (knowledge, skills, and abilities). Based on school coordinators’ perceptions, almost all schools had good general capacity while the other two areas of readiness varied across schools; overall, 56.8% of schools (N = 25) had good motivation for implementing the X:IT II intervention and 61.3% (N = 27) had high innovation-specific capacity. Half of the schools had high overall readiness defined as high motivation and high innovation-specific capacity. Schools with high overall readiness implemented the rules on smoke-free school time, smoke-free curriculum, and parental involvement to a higher degree than schools with low overall readiness. All participating schools possessed sufficient levels of general capacity, e.g., a well-functioning organizational culture and sufficient staff capacity. High levels of motivation and innovation-specific capacity were positively associated with the schools’ actual implementation of the main intervention components. This way of conceptualizing and measuring organizational readiness may be useful in future studies, i.e., in studies where enhancing readiness is a main objective.

Geographic disparities threaten equitable access for children to health-promoting safe green spaces, and quality early education in the communities in which they live and grow. To address gaps in the field, we integrated the fields of developmental psychology, public health, and environmental science to examine, at the population level, associations between the environmental burden, socioeconomic vulnerability, and kindergarten readiness in a diverse urban county. Three administrative datasets were integrated through an early childhood data sharing research partnership in Miami-Dade County. The Bruner Child Raising Vulnerability Index, the five domains of the Environmental Burden module from the Environmental Justice Index, and public school kindergarten readiness scores were aggregated at the census tract level. Analysis of variance and multiple regression analyses found associations between socioeconomic vulnerability and race/ethnicity. The socioeconomic vulnerability levels were highest in census tracts with a higher percentage of Black residents, compared to all other races/ethnicities. Areas of greater social vulnerability had lower kindergarten readiness and a higher environmental burden. A higher environmental burden predicted lower kindergarten readiness scores above and beyond race/ethnicity and socioeconomic vulnerability. The findings advance our understanding of global challenges to sustainable healthy child development, such as the persistence of a disproportionate environmental burden and inequitable access to resources such as green spaces and early education programs. The present study results can inform community health improvement plans to reduce risk exposures and promote greater access to positive environmental and educational resources for all children.