650 West North Street | PO Box 111 | Auburn, Indiana 46706 | 260.925.0311
Early Childhood Education - Why It Matters
Goal: All children in DeKalb County enter kindergarten ready to learn.
Why It Matters
- All children deserve to be safe and have stimulating and nurturing environments.
- A family’s income level is one of the largest predictors of a child’s success in school—a larger predictor than race or ethnicity.
- Children who enter school with the recognized “readiness” skills are those who read at grade level before leaving third grade.
- Students reading at grade level at third grade are those who graduate from high school and succeed throughout life.
DeKalb County Facts
- Of 3,500 children ages 0-5 in DeKalb County, nearly 500 enter school each year.
- Our county’s demographics are changing; the number of young children living in poverty is increasing.
- In 2011, approximately 300 of our county’s children entered kindergarten with limitations that could have been minimized or eliminated through early attention.
School readiness is about the role and responsibility all of us in DeKalb County have in creating the conditions and experiences in which children will thrive and develop to their full potential. We know from the research what works to support early learning and improve school readiness. We also recognize the responsibilities of schools to be ready for the children.
By developing a common definition of kindergarten readiness in DeKalb County and coordinating its work with the Adult and Kindergarten – 12th Grade Education action teams, Learning Link’s Early Childhood action team envisions a county where every child enters school ready to learn. Community members countywide interested in this stage are encouraged to participate and get involved in the process. Contact us to get involved.