"School readiness" is not just whether the child is ready to succeed in school. It is also whether schools and communities are ready to support that success.
The Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS) helps ensure that children in Washington get a great start in kindergarten. The 2011 Legislature passed Senate Bill 5427, which makes WaKIDS optional for state-funded full-day kindergarten classrooms in the 2011-2012 school year and mandatory starting in the 2012-2013 school year. Other schools may choose to participate.
WaKIDS is a partnership between the Department of Early Learning (DEL) and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), with private funding support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Thrive by Five Washington.
New legislation (Second Substitute House Bill 1723) effective July 28, 2013, allows schools to use up to three full school days at the beginning of the year for kindergarten teachers to meet with each incoming kindergartner and their family, called Family Connection. Find more information on the WaKIDS family webpage.
Learn more about WaKIDS at WaKIDS online.