Kindergarten Readiness
Why we track this indicator
Early developmental opportunities like preschool, childcare, and at-home care can provide a foundation for children’s academic success, socio-emotional health, and general well-being. Research shows a strong association between a child's early educational development with an increase in the child resiliency factors.
Kindergarten Readiness Data Breakdown
Status: Red
Definition: Kindergarten Readiness tracks the percentage of kindergarteners scoring at least a 3 on Social-Emotional Learning and Physical Readiness skills on a three point scale. These readiness domains are measured through 6 separate skills, and students must be evaluated as demonstrating the skills 'All or Most of the Time' to be considered Kindergarten Ready. This information is obtained through a collaborating partner and is a unique indicator to Elkhart County.
Source: Horizon Education Alliance (HEA)
Last Updated: July 2024
Mitigating Factors: Assessments for 2020/2021 school year were not performed due to extenuating circumstances posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Methodology
Methodology: Yearly percentage of preschoolers achieving at least a 3 in 6 skills areas compared to previous year. The collaborating partner provides a benchmark to help determine the trends for this indicator.
Goal: The goal is to observe an average of 80-100% Kindergarten Readiness rate.
Traffic Light:
Green: 80-100 % Excellent kindergarten readiness rate
Gray: 60-79 % Average kindergarten readiness rate
Red: 0-59 % Below average kindergarten readiness rate
Supporting Research
What is early childhood education?
Early childhood education (ECE) aims to improve the cognitive and social development of children ages 3 or 4 years.
Kindergarten readiness has long-reaching education and health outcomes
Kindergarten is more than just the start of a child’s academic career.
Kindergarten Readiness, Later Health, and Social Costs
Early childhood readiness forecasts a protective edge by emerging adulthood.
School Readiness: The Next Essential Quality Metric For Children
Advances in neuroscience indicate that early childhood experiences influence both the foundational architecture and long-term functioning of the brain.
Kindergarten readiness: Help your child prepare
For most children, kindergarten is the start of formal classroom education.
Related Indicators
Click to see more data trends related to Kindergarten Readiness
Horizon Education Alliance
Horizon Education Alliance exists to strengthen collaboration, increase innovation, and move everyone from hope to belief that Elkhart County will be transformed through education.
Indicators in Action
The ‘Data Action Mini Grant’ program will provide low barrier grants to collaborating partners which will help increase cross-system collaboration and facilitate the community response to needs and/or gaps identified through the Elkhart County Child Dashboard. Applicants may request up to $2,000. Two or more applicants can collaborate for collaborative action based upon one or more data indicators and increase the grant request. By leveraging the ‘Data Action Mini Grant’ program partners can have a platform that helps to inform community goals and creates a stronger sustainability platform for their programs.
For a copy of the 1-page proposal template click here or email David Wiegner.