Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #112565

Shari Golan, PhD, Policy Division, SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Ave, Menlo Park, CA 94025, 650-859-4007, shari.golan@sri.com

First 5 California's School Readiness (SR) Initiative is being accomplished through the joint efforts of First 5 California and all 58 counties. The SR Initiative engages families, community members, and educators in preparing children, birth to age 5, for elementary school. School readiness efforts focus on communities with high-priority schools, as indicated by low academic skills of their students on the state's Academic Performance Index (API). SR Initiative activities and programs are based at schools and school-linked settings.

To document changes over time in children's school readiness, the evaluation has conducted Kindergarten Entry Profiles. These included a family phone interview (with almost 4,000 parents) and a teacher-completed assessment of children's mastery of developmental competencies (for more than 5,000 children). Evaluation data show that services promoted by the SR Initiative and other First 5 programs (health care, identification and services for disabilities and other special needs, preschool, parenting education, and family literacy) are all associated with better mastery of skills when children enter kindergarten. Data also show that children in poorer health had lower mastery of important school readiness skills. This finding suggests the need to support programs designed to promote children's health during the early childhood years. It also provides evidence that First 5 efforts to improve young children's health are critical initiatives that also improve their school readiness.

Information about the children and families involved in the SR Initiative is facilitating strategic planning in local communities and policy agenda setting at the county and state levels.

Learning Objectives:

• 3. Describe the goals of First 5 California’s School Readiness Initiative.
  6. Identify at least two methods for collecting evidence of SR Initiative impacts.
  9. Articulate the health policy and program implications for young children based on the SR Initiative evaluation findings.

Related Web page: www.ccfc.ca.gov

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commertial supporters WITH THE EXCEPTION OF being contracted to evaluate First 5 California.

Recorded presentation