Starting kindergarten is a major milestone, but not every child begins equally prepared. School readiness is strongly linked to long-term success in academics, behavior, and social development. Yet gaps persist, especially among children facing poverty or limited access to preschool.
That’s why Clinton School graduate Vida Torgbe, in partnership with the Arkansas Department of Education, developed the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Toolkit, a user-friendly, research-based guide to help teachers evaluate early childhood development.
Drawing from three proven frameworks – the Early Development Instrument, Head Start’s Early Learning Outcomes, and Teaching Strategies GOLD – the toolkit provides a clear observational checklist, scoring guide, and interpretation format. It’s designed to highlight each child’s strengths and areas needing support.
More than scores, this toolkit empowers teachers and families to better understand and support every learner from the very beginning.
By combining structure with flexibility, this checklist gives educators a tool to help ensure children start school with confidence and the support they need to be successful.
The Clinton School Impact Minute is a recurring segment with Little Rock Public Radio, highlighting the Clinton School’s field service impact.
Since 2004, Clinton School students have completed nearly 700 field service projects with more than 300 organizations in Arkansas alone, creating immediate and long-term impact for businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies across the state.
How does one obtain the kindergarten readiness toolkit?
This is fantastic! The Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Toolkit sounds like a truly impactful resource, particularly its potential to address early learning gaps. Vida Torgbe’s work highlights the Clinton School’s commitment to real-world problem-solving. It’s especially commendable that the toolkit draws from established, research-backed frameworks, simplifying complex data and providing actionable insights for teachers. This kind of bridging of research and practice is essential! More than just assessments, the toolkit sounds empowering for teachers AND families, creating a strong foundation for supporting each child’s individual learning journey. Kudos to the Arkansas Department of Education for partnering on this crucial initiative and to the Clinton School for yet another significant field service project benefiting the people of Arkansas. Very impressive!