Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (DHHS/PHS),

Interest in early education and school readiness gives rise to opportunities for promoting health development as well as addressing barriers tp development and learning. This brief highlights the need to approach early education and school readiness from a perspective of addressing barriers. The brief discusses the marginalization and fragmentation that characterizes early childhood policies and practices, the need to approach school readiness in the context of efforts to expand school reform, and the type of comprehensive and multifaceted frameworks that should guide school readiness policy and practice. Central policy concerns include coalescing resources and decreasing marginalization. Dimensions of school readiness are presented, and the need to fully integrate approaches to promote school readiness into education and community reforms are highlighted. The brief provides examples of barriers to development and learning as well as delineating protective factors, including risks o