Education strategies to improve kindergarten readiness

How does kindergarten readiness affect economic mobility?

Children who enter kindergarten ready to learn are more likely to experience subsequent academic success. ^{1 2 3}

Children who enter kindergarten ready to learn have an 82 percent chance of mastering basic academic and social skills by age 11, compared to a 45 percent chance for children who enter kindergarten unprepared.

Children who enter kindergarten ready to learn are less likely to repeat a grade, be placed in special education, or be arrested later in life. They are more likely to graduate from high school, receive a post-secondary degree, see better employment outcomes, and experience better health outcomes.

Readiness for kindergarten is particularly important for low-income children’s chances of upward economic mobility. ⁴

Low-income children who enter kindergarten unprepared are 25 percent more likely to drop out of high school, 40 percent more likely to become parents as teenagers, and 60 percent less likely to attend college than children who enter kindergarten prepared.

Investments in kindergarten readiness produce significant social returns. ⁵

Investments in kindergarten readiness for low-income children are estimated to yield benefit-cost ratios between 2:1 and 4:1.

Other estimates demonstrate a 7-10 percent return on investment due to better education, health, social, and economic outcomes; increased workforce productivity, and reduced reliance on public programs.