Early Development Index

Years of research show that early school readiness is a critical and crucial piece to setting children on the best possible trajectory for success in school and in life. High-quality early developmental opportunities lay the foundation for children’s long-term success.

Orange County was the vanguard site for implementing the Early Development Index (EDI) in the United States. Researchers, policymakers, and child advocates here understood that data drives meaningful decisions for early childhood education, health, and well-being.

The Early Development Index (EDI) data confirms that many Orange County children are not developmentally on-track when they enter kindergarten; however 2021/22 EDI Data indicates growth over time for the percentage of HBCSD students identified as Developmentally On-Track. HBCSD and First 5 Orange County are using the kindergarten readiness data to educate parents and communities about how they can provide services and environments in which children, parents, and caregivers can learn and thrive to foster healthy development.

Getting Your Child Ready for School is a parent resource that is based on the Early Development Index (EDI). The EDI is a teacher-rated measure of kindergarten children’s readiness to learn at school in five areas of early childhood development. This parent toolkit provides tips and information for each of those five EDI areas. The toolkit is also available in Spanish and in Vietnamese.