This paper presents the results of an extensive review of the current literature on school readiness. The purposes of the paper are to identify and discuss the components of school readiness; to explain the importance of the very early years of a child's life (from conception to age six) in laying the foundation for scholastic achievement and adult success in all aspects of life, including the labour market; and to present a brief discussion of the impact of the availability of various family and community resources on a child's school readiness.
The paper presents five components of school readiness:
- physical well-being and appropriate motor development;
- emotional health and a positive approach to new experiences;
- age-appropriate social knowledge and competence;
- age-appropriate language skills; and
- age-appropriate general knowledge and cognitive skills.
The determinants of each component of school readiness are discussed, followed by a chapter on the importance of critical periods of development. These critical periods are relevant for certain types of development, such as language fluency and social competence with peers, and reflect time periods when a child is biologically primed to develop more advanced neural structures and/or skills provided the appropriate stimulation is available. The discussion of resources available to the child includes the family's income, other family resources such as parental time and parenting practices, and community resources such as quality non-parental child care and family support programs.
The paper concludes that the life situation of many parents in the late 1990s makes it difficult for them to provide the support their children need to be ready for school at age six. In the author's judgement, preparing children to be school-ready must be a collaborative effort involving the family, the community in which the child lives and the broader society.
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