Definition 

School readiness means each child enters school ready to engage in and benefit from early learning experiences that best promote the child's success. Families, early care and education providers, school staff, and community partners must work together to provide environments and developmental experiences that promote growth and learning to ensure that all children enter school eager and excited to learn.

The essential developmental areas for school readiness are:

• Approaches to learning ;
• Health and physical well-being;
• Language and communication development; 
• Social and emotional development;
• Cognitive and general knowledge.

In addition to the definition of school readiness, schools have developed a series of indicators related to the above developmental areas. These readiness indicators provide an overview of the expectations of primary schools for incoming students and guide families and communities on how to prepare children for school. Also, a readiness indicator provides teachers, child care providers, and parents a tool to better inform them on the specific strengths and needs of each child. These indicators represent the hopes and aspirations for incoming students, not the expectations. Children develop at different rates, not every child will have mastered all of the skills and behaviors at the beginning of a primary program.

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