About Us

Founded in 1992 in response to the first national education goal, “all children will enter school ready to learn,” Ready At Five is firmly committed to ensuring that all Maryland children enter school ready to succeed.

Ready At Five is a statewide, public/private partnership and a powerful, independent voice for young children.  Led by six of Maryland’s most prominent organizations dedicated to young children, Ready At Five and its Partners:

• Monitor, advocate, and serve as a catalyst for systemic change to improve the care and education of Maryland's younch children;
• Explore innovative models and promote promising practices aimed at improving the school readiness of Maryland's young children, birth to age 5; and
• Develop tools and resources that support community leaders, early educators, and parents in improving school readiness and making the early years matter.

To increase the number of children entering school ready to succeed, Ready At Five is:

1. In the Community. Through its Learning Laboratories, Ready At Five provides technical assistance to local communities, pilots innovative models aimed at improving school readiness, promotes lessons learned, and encourages local implementation.

2. Hosting Events. Ready At Five’s bi-annual School Readiness Symposium Series fosters systemic change of Maryland’s early care and education system.

3. Developing Key Resources. Highly acclaimed publications, activities, tips and other resources for parents, early educators and professionals, and community leaders.

   • NEW! Multi-lingual Resources! Check out the publications available in English, Korean, and Spanish.

   • What Works? Promising Practices for Improving the School Readiness of English Language Learners.  Tthis compendium and learn the practices that improve the school readiness of children learning the English language.

   • Getting Ready providing key findings on the school readiness of kindergartners across Maryland.

For more information about Ready At Five, please see the 2006 Annual Report.