There is good news when it comes to state level public policy: policymakers increasingly recognize that workforce development and global competitiveness demand that we close the achievement gap, and prepare all students to succeed in school and in life.
However, college and career readiness begins long before children first enter the classroom. Differences in children’s abilities appear as early as the first year of life, and research has shown that targeted interventions during the early childhood years can narrow the “school readiness gap.”
In order to understand the pathways through early childhood that lead to stronger school readiness, a growing number of states are developing Early Care and Education data systems. A recent policy brief from the Early Childhood Data Collaborative discusses these data systems and the types of information they are designed to provide.
In Memphis, too many young children start life facing a daunting range of risks to their healthy early childhood development. Building an understanding of the factors that strengthen early childhood brain development, in order to help children reach school ready to learn is a goal shared by The Urban Child Institute, The Early Success Coalition, and a broad range of community partners.