School Readiness
School readiness refers to the field within Early Childhood Education that prepares children, aged 2¾ to 6, to participate in and derive maximum benefit from kindergarten, laying the foundation for continuous success in school. School Readiness programs address language development, cognitive skills, general knowledge, approaches to learning, and social and emotional skills.
1. Explore the social issue
Read our full school readiness social issue report, which includes: an overview of the social issue, an investment recommendation, information on the return on investment, and ways to take further action.
Click here to read the full social issue report
2. Learn about your state
The state reports define the context of how school readiness is being addressed in Massachusetts and New York.
3. Select an organization
The guide to giving provides information needed to evaluate an organization working on school readiness in five steps.
Click here to read the guide to giving
The organization reports highlight high performing school readiness organizations based on a rigorous evaluation of organizational health, program performance, and social and economic impact. Click below to see a list of high performing organizations in your city or state.
Boston, MA / Massachusetts / New York City, NY
4. Explore related social issues
Learn about social issues related to school readiness that we have written about in other reports.
Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, there are more than 1,500 licensed nonprofit and for-profit organizations that provide center-based childcare for preschool-aged children. To read more on what’s happening in Massachusetts with school readiness click the link below to see our state report.
Click here to read the full state report
Recommended Organizations: Boston, MA
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Action for Boston Community Development, Inc.
Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) has a long history of providing high-quality services to low-income children while using its experience to improve services across MA. ABCD's mission is to combat poverty by promoting self-help for low-income people and neighborhoods.
Read report on Action for Boston Community Development
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Associated Early Care and Education
Associated Early Care and Education's (AECE) mission is to give Greater Boston's youngest children in need, birth to age five, the opportunity to reach their full potential by investing in school readiness, promoting healthy development, and strengthening families. AECE has recently launched an ambitious demonstration project to test a new model that integrates school readiness and poverty reduction.
Read report on Associated Early Care and Education
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Children's Services of Roxbury
Children's Services of Roxbury (CSR) provides support to children, families, and family childcare providers throughout the state. Although its center-based program is small, CSR provides support across the state of Massachusetts.
Read report on Children's Services of Roxbury
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College Bound Dorchester
College Bound Dorchester's (CBD) mission is to equip each student with the attitude, skills and experience to graduate from college and positively impact their community. In 2007, CBD began outlining and working toward an ambitious plan to create systemic change in Dorchester.
Read report on College Bound Dorchester
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East Boston Social Centers
East Boston Social Centers (EBSOC) is a gateway for Boston's new immigrant population to become successful Americans, by focusing on children and youth. EBSOC creates a warm welcoming environment and provides programs designed to meet people's educational, social and recreational needs and to build community and strengthen families.
Read report on East Boston Social Centers
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Horizons for Homeless Children
Horizons for Homeless Children (HHC) targets primarily homeless children and their families. HHC advocates on behalf of both homeless children and their families as well as provides parents with the tools to achieve self-sufficiency and children the opportunities of early education.
Read report on Horizons for Homeless Children
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Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción
Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA) focuses primarily on the Hispanic population of Villa Victoria in Boston and is one of the few organizations in MA that provides bilingual preschool education. IBA is a dynamic community building agency that provides education, economic development, and technology and art programs.
Read report on Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción
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Lynn Economic Opportunity, Inc.
Lynn Economic Opportunity, Inc. (LEO) is a large multi-service agency working to alleviate the effects of poverty through a variety of programs, including school readiness in the Lynn area.
Read report on Lynn Economic Opportunity
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Quincy Community Action Programs, Inc.
Quincy Community Action Programs, Inc's (QCAP) mission is to assist families and individuals in communities to improve the quality of their lives by minimizing the effects of poverty, promoting self-sufficiency and advocating for social change through both public and private partnerships.
Read report on Quincy Community Action Programs
Recommended Organizations: Massachusetts
Berkshire Children and Families
Berkshire Children and Families (BCF) provides children with stable families by having skilled professionals partner with families, local communities, other organizations and funding sources to design and offer leading edge services to help children and families become engaged citizens. BCF has been adapting to the needs of the Berkshires community for more than 100 years. It has a special focus on programming and support for children with special needs.
Read report on Berkshire Children and Families
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Community Action Programs, Inter-City, Inc.
Community Action Programs, Inter-City, Inc. (CAPIC) is a large multi-service organization that provides a variety of services aimed at helping families become more self sufficient. The CAPIC Head Start program provides high quality early education services to low income children and families that reside in the communities of Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop.
Read report on Community Action Program
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Community Teamwork, Inc.
Community Teamwork,Inc.'s (CTI) mission is to assist low-income people to become self-sufficient, alleviate the effects of poverty, and empower them to participate in the decisions that affect their lives.
Read report on Community Teamwork
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Enable, Inc.
Enable, Inc.'s Cole Harrington Children's Center (CH) is comprised of center-based programs and a network of family providers. CH provides services that incorporate educational, rehabilitative and therapeutic methods to enhance the ability of individuals to lead a meaningful and independent life in the community.
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Holyoke•Chicopee•Springfield Head Start, Inc.
Holyoke·Chicopee·Springfield Head Start, Inc.'s (HCS) is a high-quality program that integrates low-income and migrant families into their children's education. It is currently the only Head Start program working with children of migrant workers in Massachusetts.
Read report on Holyoke·Chicopee·Springfield Head Start
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Martha's Vineyard Community Services
Martha's Vineyard Community Services is one of the few centers that serve low-income families on Martha's Vineyard. Martha's Vineyard Community Services Early Childhood Programs (MVCS ECP) offer a variety of school readiness programs to meet diverse community needs.
Read report on Martha's Vineyard Community Services
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Montachusett Opportunity Council, Inc. Child Care and Head Start Services
Montachusett Opportunity Council, Inc's (MOC) mission is to empower low-income individuals and families to achieve self-sufficiency and improve the quality of life by creating opportunities, providing advocacy and coordinating efforts to alleviate poverty. MOC is the only organization in its area that provides the full Head Start school readiness program.
Read report on Montachusett Opportunity Council
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NorthStar Learning Centers
NorthStar Learning Centers (NSLC) focuses on children who suffer behavioral and emotional problems as a result of abuse, neglect, and trauma, which requires NSLC to provide comprehensive mental health services for the entire family. NSLC's mission is to help children, youth, and families realize their strengths and dreams.
Read report on NorthStar Learning Centers
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Rainbow Child Development Center
Rainbow Child Development Center (RCDC) is a licensed, non-profit childcare agency working collaboratively within the community. RCDC's mission is to provide education and therapeutic services to to high-risk children and families in a nurturing, supportive, and safe environment.
Read report on Rainbow Child Development Center
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Self Help, Inc.
Self Help, Inc. (SHI) is a multi-service agency that provides Head Start as one of several programs to help families become self sufficient. SHI's mission is to remove barriers that exist in the communities that we serve to ensure that opportunities are available for all residents to obtain health services, child care, education, housing employment and financial stability.
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YWCA of Central Massachusetts, Inc.
YWCA of Central Massachusetts, Inc. (YWCM) school readiness program, is one of several programs aimed at empowering women and helping them become self sufficient. YWCM is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.
Read report on YWCA of Central Massachusetts
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YWCA of Greater Lawrence
YWCA of Greater Lawrence (YGL) weaves its mission of empowering women into its program by preparing children for school and supporting families.YGL is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.
Read report on YWCA of Greater Lawrence
New York
In New York, there are more than 22,000 childcare establishments that operate across the state. To read more on what’s happening with School Readiness in New York click the link below to see our state report.
Click here to read the full state report
Recommended Organizations: New York City, NY
Association to Benefit Children
Association to Benefit Children (ABC) targets children living in poverty and provides a continuum of services through legal and advocacy activities. By creating replicable programs, speaking in public forums, and providing special reports, ABC champions the rights of defenseless children and combats poverty. ABC works with some of NYC’s most at risk children, and has implemented new emergency programming in response to the economic downturn.
Read report on Association to Benefit Children
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Brooklyn Community Services
Brooklyn Community Services (BCS) is one of Brooklyn’s oldest social service agencies. BCS is continually evolving its services to meet the needs of community clients and help them achieve greater self sufficiency. BCS works with children and families from cradle to adulthood, and is currently improving service quality despite the economic downturn and city budget shortfalls.
Read report on Brooklyn Community Services
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Brooklyn Kindergarten Society
Brooklyn Kindergarten Society (BKS) has been providing school readiness and early childhood education for 119 years. In the past year BKS has become more focused on delivering the highest quality services to its community. BKS is poised to scale up their programs in an environment where many programs are closing or serving fewer families.
Read report on Brooklyn Kindergarten Society
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Children's Aid Society
Children’s Aid Society (CAS) has been serving children and families for over 150 years, utilizing a proactive and innovative approach to fill the gaps between what children have and what they need to thrive. In addition to advocacy work which extends their reach to children who cannot attend their centers, CAS now has ambitious plans for program expansion and quality improvement.
Read report on Children’s Aid Society
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Graham-Windham
Graham-Windham (GW) is the oldest non-sectarian childcare agency in the United States. Literacy is the signature feature of its continuum of services, from early childhood through family and community support. The organization is dedicated to continuous improvement and has an ambitious strategic plan that will grow several of their programs.
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Lenox Hill Neighborhood House
Lenox Hill Neighborhood House (LHNH) provides an array of integrated human services—educational, legal, housing, health, and fitness—to over 20,000 people ages 3 to 103. LHNH organization serves local low-income families as well as local and low-income families who commute to work on the upper east side. LHNH is poised to serve and support an unprecedented number of people seeking help in all program areas due to the economic climate.
Read report on Lenox Hill Neighborhood House
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Women's Economic Development Corporation
Women’s Economic Development Corporation (WHEDco) provides housing and services to enable families living in poverty in the Bronx to become economically self-sufficient. Deeply rooted in their community, WHEDco’s poverty reduction programs are embedded in their affordable housing framework.
Social Innovation Forum
Save the date for the 2012 Social Innovator Showcase—May 3!
The ninth annual Social Innovator Showcase, modeled after venture capital forums, will highlight our six 2012 Social Innovators for potential investors, as well as spark conversations on the best approaches to developing and spreading innovation.
Idea Lab
Why a market for social innovation is needed now more than ever
In this Stanford Social Innovation Review article, Andrew Wolk discusses how to create and invest in a social impact market.
