Making sure kids are ready to learn.

• Position: On First Reading - Brief Article

"Getting kids ready for school" used to mean packing lunches, finding mittens and kissing rosy little cheeks goodbye. In today's policy environment, "school readiness" is a serious and important topic that's generating conversations from the White House to the local PTA meeting.

State and local decision makers who want to ensure that all children are ready to learn when they enter elementary school are struggling with the myriad needs of preschool children. Multiple studies have shown that some children are not ready for school because of poverty, poor physical or mental health, lack of access to educational resources or other factors. Studies also show, however, that these youngsters' limitations can be minimized or eliminated through early intervention.

With the support of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, 17 states have launched an innovative program to improve school readiness. The goals of the project are to:

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