Welcome to Early Education Information & Support site for Guadalupe Union School District!
What do we mean by School Readiness? 
Guadalupe’s young children need safe, supportive and nurturing environments to be healthy and ready to succeed in school. “Readiness" is a term used to describe preparation for what comes next! Since 1990, one of the top national educational goals has been that all children in America will start school “ready to learn.” The Director of Early Education and Support works with school staff, families, community stakeholders, and early care and educational communities to identify service gaps and promote best practices to ensure school readiness for all children.
Our goal is to offer services to children ages 3-5 and their families and coordinate with local preschool providers to improve the children’s school readiness by aligning curriculum and connecting centers with parent education, health and social services.
Why is School Readiness an Important Issue Today?
Children’s school readiness is affected by the early care and learning experiences they receive. We know that rich learning experiences directly influence a child’s ability to transition successfully to kindergarten. Being aware of the importance of quality early education and kindergarten expectations can assist families in setting their children up for success.
Recent studies indicate that, despite our growing appreciation of the importance of early education, many children in our community are not receiving quality early learning experiences that will prepare them to enter our Guadalupe Union School District Kindergarten programs. Research indicates that preschoolers who attend high quality programs will:
- Enter kindergarten with skills necessary for school success
- Show greater understanding of verbal numerical concepts
- Receive higher ratings on social competence
- Show ability to stay with an activity longer
- Are more likely to make normal progress through the primary grades
Specific ways to help your child, or a child in your care, success in school is as follows (Click to download):
Characteristics most important for a child to successfully transition into Kindergarten:
- Ability to communicate basic needs
- Ability to demonstrate attentive behavior
- Show enthusiasm, interest and desire to learn
- Demonstrate a desire to know things, to want to please, to feel good about themselves
- Display prosocial behavior
For more information:
Mari Ortega-Garcia, M.Ed.
Director of Early Education & Support
(805) 343-2114 x 1023
marigarcia@gusdbobcats.com
For additional information about parenting and learning about how to support your child’s development and learning, please visit First 5 California - California's Parenting Website
Early Education and Support is funded in part by First 5 Santa Barbara County Children and Families Commission
