The first five years of a child’s life is the most sensitive for brain development. Early brain development plays a key role in the child’s educational success. The brain is heavily influenced by healthy relationships, high quality learning experiences, and responsive learning environments. A large body of research indicates that children living in poverty display atypical structural development, thus widening the school readiness gap compared to their counterparts by school entry (Blair, Raver 2017; Hair, Hanson, Wolfe, Pollak 2015). An intervention aimed at improving school readiness is investing in high quality pre-kindergarten programs for economically disadvantaged children (Pressler, Raver, Friedman-Krauss, Roy, 2016; Barnett, Jung, Youn, and Frede 2015; Weiland and Yoshikawa 2013).

Robust evidence from Abbott Preschool Program Longitudinal Effect Study (APPLES) proven that pre-kindergarten programs progressed over the years. The Abbott Preschool Program is a result of New Jersey’s Supreme Court’s 1998 decision in Abbott v. Burke. The ruling lead to the implementation of universal eligibility to ensure that all 3- and 4-year-old children from 31 New Jersey’s economically disadvantaged school districts are provided with high quality education to help narrow the school readiness gap (Barnett, Jung, Youn, and Frede 2013). Many publicly funded pre-kindergarten programs have income eligibility guidelines. These guidelines effect other children who come from families with limited financial resources. Limiting the access to these programs will only perpetuate school readiness disparities. Publicly advertised universal pre-kindergarten models such as APPLES, Michigan Great Start School Readiness Program, and Boston’s pre-kindergarten have demonstrated success, as well as substantial gains beyond kindergarten. These studies differ in the way they were conducted; however, participants demonstrated persistent school readiness skills compared to children who completed one year of preschool or who did attend at all (Barnett, Jung, Youn, and Frede 2013; Weiland and Yoshikawa 2013; Schweinhart, L.J., Xiang, Z., Daniel-Echols, M., Browning, K. & Wakabayashi, T 2012).

School Readiness is an im