School Readiness

Children who have early learning skills as they enter kindergarten do better in elementary school, are more likely to graduate from high school, have better career success, and are less involved in crime and drugs.

That is why First 5 Santa Cruz County continues to implement a local component of the First 5 California School Readiness Initiative to improve the transition from early care settings to elementary schools and to increase the schools and communities capacity to promote the success of young children. Each School Readiness program includes five œEssential and Coordinated Elements for school readiness: Early Care and Education, Parenting and Family Support Services, Health and Social Services, Schools Readiness for Children/School Capacity, and Program Infrastructure, Administration, and Evaluation. School Readiness efforts focus on communities with low-performing schools as measured by the Academic Performance Index (API) and can be based at schools or in school-linked settings.

Additionally, First 5 invests in efforts across the county to better link early education and kindergarten. Teachers throughout the county are using the Child Snapshot to communicate with each other and families about key school readiness milestones. To find out more about Child Snapshots, please click below.
Kindergarten Snapshot
Kindergarten Snapshot (Spanish)