The Early Development Instrument (EDI) is a population measure of how young children are developing in communities. The EDI measures five domains of early childhood development: 1) Physical health and wellbeing, 2) Social competence, 3) Emotional maturity, 4) Language and cognitive skills, and 5) Communication skills and general knowledge. A child is considered “Very Ready” when their domain score is greater than or equal to the 75th percentile of the national EDI dataset.
The number of Bexar County ISDs adopting the assessment has increased each year. In some cases, dramatically changing the demographic mix of children assessed. Those changes make trending outcomes from the EDI problematic. In order to accurately trend this indicator and preserve the time series, a baseline geography was set as the 309 tracts assessed in 2015. In addition, the 70% representation criteria prescribed by EDI was applied to the geography as a whole rather than being applied to each individual tract.
All quantitative data and narrative related to the data on this page was prepared by CI NOW for ReadyKidSA.
School readiness, a multi-dimensional concept, conveys important advantages. Children who enter school with early skills, such as a basic knowledge of math and reading, are more likely than their peers to experience later academic success, attain higher levels of education, and secure employment. While cognitive development and early literacy are important for children’s school readiness and early success in school, other areas of development, like health, social development, and engagement, may be of equal or greater importance. However, although experts agree that social-emotional skills are critically important for school readiness, to date there are no nationally representative data in this area. (http://www.childtrends.org/indicators/early-school-readiness/)
Kindergarteners assessed as “Very Ready” in 4+ domains: Bexar County*, 2022
|
Assessed |
Percent “Very Ready” in 4+ Domains |
Total Population | 11,847 | 16.7% |
Race Ethnicity | ||
Asian | 390 | 22.6% |
Black or African American | 648 | 11.9% |
Hispanic or Latino | 7,809 | 15.7% |
White | 1,846 | 21.9% |
Two or More Races | 733 | 17.6% |
Gender | ||
Male | 6,073 | 12.7% |
Female | 5,773 | 20.8% |
Other | ||
Free and Reduced Lunch | 2,978 | 14.1% |
Individualized ED Program (IEP) | 508 | 3.1% |
English as a Second Language (ESL) | 1,213 | 18.1% |
Source: Transforming Early Childhood Community Systems; Early Development Instrument (EDI), 2022. *309 census tracts used for analysis
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