1. Virginia’s Definition of School Readiness
Ready Families
In 2008, the School Readiness Task Force created a comprehensive definition of school readiness that was endorsed in 2008 by the Governor’s Working Group on Early Childhood Initiatives and by the Virginia Board of Education.
Virginia’s definition of school readiness focuses not only on whether a child has acquired basic skills, but also on the capacities of families, schools and communities that best support children’s acquisition of these skills. This definition provides a common framework for understanding and promoting school readiness across Virginia.

2. No one component can stand on its own.
“School readiness" describes the capabilities of children, their families, schools, and communities that will best promote student success in kindergarten and beyond.
Each component - children, families, schools and communities - plays an essential role in the development of school readiness.
No one component can stand on its own.
When discussing school readiness, it is important to include all components of Virginia’s Definition of School Readiness in the discussion – Ready Children, Ready Families, Ready Schools and Ready Communities.
To best promote the successful transition of children to kindergarten, each component of Virginia’s Definition of School Readiness needs to be understood and addressed by all stakeholders.
This presentation focuses on the ready families component of the definition.

3. interact with their children, helping them to develop listening and communication skills and to express their feelings, needs, and wants. Adults:
read to and speak with children regularly and respectfully;
appreciate the child's view of the world;
encourage exploration of the world in which they live;
are trustworthy and dependable; and
engage with children with joy, warmth, and comfort.
Families are the first and most influential teachers of young children.
Because language is fundamentally embedded in children’s every day relationships and experiences, adults play a critical role in facilitating young children’s language and literacy development by providing language and print-rich environments, interactions, and opportunities.
Adults must engage young children in conversation throughout daily and consistent routines, asking open-ended questions and presenting new words to allow expansion of vocabulary.
Children’s social relationships with adults include the ability to trust and interact easily with them, as well as their ability to recognize adult roles.
Discussion Questions
How are families within our community supported in their efforts to provide opportunities for their children to have access to children’s books that are appropriate for their age?
What opportunities are available in our community that offer opportunities for children to expand their world view and increase the exploration of the world around them?

4. encourage and act as the bridge to positive social relationships
encourage and act as the bridge to positive social relationships. Adults:
help children learn to cooperate with others;
help children follow simple directions and complete basic tasks;
foster friendships with other children;
teach children routines and how to respond to rules and structure;
help children learn how to handle disappointments; and
expose children to and help them describe different people, places, and things.
Young children’s ability to form and sustain social relationships with others is at the heart of their social development.
Children look to adults for guidance, cues, and information on how to think, feel, and act.
Ready families provide:
opportunities within the home setting for young children to be responsible for small, routine tasks by instructing them on the steps involved to complete the tasks, and rewarding the young children when they have completed the tasks successfully.
opportunities for their children to play and interact with their peers on a regular basis.
simple, basic rules within the family routine that allow the child to explore within boundaries and provide the structure of a safe and healthy environment.
a nurturing environment within the home that offers models for dealing with new people, places, and things.
Discussion Questions:
What opportunities are available in our community for families with children to interact with one another?
What opportunities are available in our community for families with children to be a part of a diverse population?

5. ensure their children are healthy by:
completing all appropriate eye, ear, dental and other medical screenings as well as immunizations.
Ready families assure that their children have regularly scheduled checkups with doctors, dentists, and other medical providers.
Ready families make sure that their children have all necessary immunizations in a timely manner.
Discussion Questions:
What medical services are readily available for families within our community?
What kind of support is available in our community for helping families financially afford medical services?