Getting Ready for School

At least 600 Head Start programs across the country have adopted a curriculum entitled Getting Ready for School. It is designed to help parents boost their children’s school readiness by improving their math and reading skills. Parents meet weekly and cover nine units available in both English and Spanish. Kimberly Noble, MD, PhD, and Helena Duch, PhD, who are affiliated with the Columbia University Medical Center and School of Public Health, are evaluating a revised Getting Ready for School curriculum at several Head Start centers in New York City. Their version of the curriculum targets self-regulation skills in addition to math and reading skills. Jeanne Brooks-Gunn serves as a consultant.

Funding Source: Institute of Education Sciences.

Contact: Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Ph.D.