Sonoma County, CA – August 2024 – The Road to Early Achievement and Development of Youth (READY) Project has released its annual report on kindergarten readiness in Sonoma County, underscoring persistent challenges in addressing racial disparities in early childhood development. Funded by First 5 Sonoma County and implemented by Upstream Investments at Sonoma County Department of Human Services, a report of the annual findings has been released to the community since 2017. Year after year, the data has consistently pointed to the need for increased access to resources for families with children under five years old, including child care and early learning programs that are affordable, high-quality and culturally responsive.
This year, the READY report reveals a seven-year trend of ongoing decline and widening disparities in both social-emotional and academic readiness for kindergarten, especially among children that are Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), and/or linguistically diverse. Lower household income levels continue to be strongly correlated with a lack of kindergarten readiness. The report emphasizes the urgent need for culturally inclusive programs and services, parental engagement, and systemic reforms to systems serving children birth to five to bridge these gaps.
Overall, 32% of Sonoma County children were ready to succeed in kindergarten in Fall 2023, a slight increase from the previous year. However, stark disparities across racial and ethnic groups continue to persist. For example, 24% of Latino children, 36% of Black children, and 30% of Native children were screened as “ready to go”, compared to 45% of white children and 46% of Asian American children. Children who attended preschool or other structured early learning program were more likely to be screened as “ready to go”. In fact, the READY data has consistently shown over multiple years that children whose families speak primarily Spanish at home and who attended culturally responsive early learning programs provided in Spanish were significantly more likely to be ready to succeed in kindergarten than those who did not.
“Most Sonoma County families with young children are struggling to afford the increasingly high costs of housing, child care and basic needs. When you layer in the economic and traumatic impacts of disasters and the pandemic, disproportionately affecting BIPOC communities, all of these stressors on families and kids have likely contributed to this decline in kindergarten readiness,” said Angie Dillon-Shore, Executive Director at First 5 Sonoma County. “The READY findings also highlight that many pre-K programs, including Transitional Kindergarten, lack the cultural and linguistic responsiveness needed to support our community’s children of color, a significant barrier to achieving educational equity. Perhaps we should be asking not whether children are ready for kindergarten, but whether our community is ready to support children.”
The state of California is in the process of rolling out Transitional Kindergarten (TK) as a universal pre-kindergarten option for 4-year olds, potentially reaching more children with a no-cost preschool option. However, many experts in the early childhood field have expressed concerns about whether TK classrooms and curricula are developmentally and linguistically appropriate for four-year olds, as well as culturally responsive. An additional concern is that TK programs are often only a partial day, creating logistical challenges for many working parents who need full-day programming for their children.
The READY Annual Report 2023-24 provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state of early childhood education in Sonoma County, highlighting both challenges and opportunities. By investing at a system level to increase access to high-quality, culturally inclusive programs and supports from birth to five years old, First 5 Sonoma County aims to ensure that all children, regardless of their background, have the opportunity to succeed. The READY report recommends multiple strategies and investments to promote more accessible, equitable and supportive early learning environments to improve kindergarten readiness and child outcomes:
- Equitable compensation for early educators/childcare providers, at parity with K-12 educator salaries and benefits.
- Increased access to affordable or no-cost early learning/child care programs for all families.
- Professional development to support educators to understand racial bias and develop cultural competency.
- Bilingual staff and curricula that reflect and incorporate diverse cultural backgrounds.
- Direct and frequent parent engagement that ensures their input is valued.
- Opportunities for parents to share their cultures with the school community.
- Culturally and linguistically responsive assessment tools that better reflect the readiness of all children, especially those from diverse backgrounds.
The full report can be accessed here. For more information about the research methodology, screening tool and other details, contact READY@schsd.org.
First 5 Sonoma County Contact:
Angie Dillon Shore, Executive Director
Email: adillonshore@first5sonomacounty.org
Phone: 707-477-4769
