First 5 California's School Readiness (SR) Initiative is to improve the transition from early care settings to elementary school and increase the schools' and communities' capacity to promote the success of young children. School readiness efforts focus on communities with low-performing schools as measured by Academic Performance Index (API) and can be based at schools or in school-linked settings.

The School Readiness Initiative engages families, community members, and educators in the important work of preparing children, birth to age five, for elementary school. This Initiative adopted the definition of school readiness developed by the National Education Goals Panel (NEGP)* which covers three aspects of a child's life: children's readiness for school, schools' readiness for children, family and community supports, and services that contribute to children's readiness for school success.

The NEGP definition is the framework for the five 'Essential and Coordinated Elements' required of every SR program:

1. Early Care and Education (ECE):
   This element includes ECE services, improved access to quality ECE through referrals, information and outreach to parents and providers, and improved implementation of effective practices through training of ECE providers. Periodic school readiness assessments for children are part of this element.
   
2. Parenting and Family Support Services:
   This element includes services to improve literacy and parenting skills, home visitation, employment development, and family court services.
   
3. Health and Social Services:
   This element includes services such as health plan enrollment, provision and/or referral to basic health care including prenatal care, mental health counseling, services for children with disabilities and other special needs, nutrition, oral health, drug and alcohol counseling, child abuse prevention, and case management.
   
4. Schools' Readiness for Children/School Capacity:
   This element includes communication of kindergarten standards; schools' outreach to parents; kindergarten transition programs; and cross-training, shared curriculum, and planning for early childcare educators/providers and early elementary teachers. A seamless provision of health, social services, after-school programs, and other supports for children and families are also included. Periodic school readiness assessment for schools are part of this element.
   
5. Program Infrastructure, Administration, and Evaluation:
   This element includes participant/site/district/county coordination and staff training and development. Program evaluation aimed at continuous program improvement, fiscal accountability, and collaborative governance (with families and community members) are also included.

Each School Readiness Program includes all five "Essential and Coordinated Elements." Services are culturally and linguistically appropriate and sensitive to the needs of diverse populations including children with disabilities and other special needs. In addition, programs have new or expanded and integrated services jointly developed and coordinated by County Commissions and their partners (families, schools, and community agencies and members). All School Readiness Programs participate in the First 5 Statewide Evaluation, and a sample of School Readiness sites are participating in a more intense evaluation specific to the School Readiness Initiative.

* The National Education Goals Panel (1997). Getting a Good Start in School. Washington D.C.: National Education Goals Panel.