Ready or not?: A California Tomorrow think piece on school readiness and immigrant schools

School readiness initiatives have emerged within two major contexts: immigration that is changing the composition of communities all over the nation and major school reform efforts. These two forces are powerfully shaping the design, implementation and impacts of school readiness programs. The beauty of school readiness lies in its potential to unite families, educators, early childhood educators and family support providers into a powerful force to prepare children for school success. But this promise cannot be realized until the expertise from each of these sectors is fully present at the table, and where the needs, concerns and realities of families and communities are the central focus.