Every Child Ready is a comprehensive, evidence-based curriculum for preK3 and preK4 classrooms that blends purposeful play, targeted instruction, and impactful professional learning for adults. Designed to be flexible and customizable, it gives educators everything they need to launch, teach, and measure success—so every child is prepared to thrive in school and beyond.
Explore the evidence for Every Child Ready below, including third-party studies, case studies, and more.
ESSA Evidence Levels
To align with the evidence tiers outlined in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), we used the chart below to determine the corresponding evidence levels for Every Child Ready.
| Level 1 Strong Evidence | Level 2 Moderate Evidence | Level 3 Promising Evidence | Level 4 Demonstrates a Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✔︎ | ✔︎ | ✔︎ |
Level 1: Strong Evidence
A well-implemented randomized control experimental study with matched treatment and control groups
Get Ready to Learn Randomized Control Trial
A randomized controlled study was conducted in 51 classrooms across 26 community-based early childhood centers in a Midwestern urban city. The study examined the impact of Get Ready to Learn, the first unit of the Every Child Ready program designed to help preschool children adjust to school and strengthen their social and emotional skills. Results showed that teachers improved their classroom organization and provided stronger emotional support to students. Children also demonstrated gains in social-emotional skills, including making friends, internalizing classroom routines, and managing their emotions and behaviors. The program had the greatest impact in centers with the highest levels of need, particularly those with more safety or quality concerns.
Level 2: Moderate Evidence
A well-implemented quasi-experimental study with matched treatment and control groups
Every Child Ready: Exposure to a Comprehensive Instructional Model Improves Students’ Growth Trajectories in Multiple Early Learning Domains
This quasi-experimental study examined more than 1,500 three- and four-year-old children in high-need urban neighborhoods. Children who participated in the Every Child Ready instructional model improved at a greater rate than their non-ECR peers in the areas of math (1.5 months higher over the course of the year), literacy (1.1 months higher over the course of the year), uppercase letter identification (.8 months higher over the course of the year), and name writing (2 months higher over the course of the year).
Equitable Education for All: Using a Comprehensive Instructional Model to Improve Preschool Teacher Practices
This quasi-experimental study evaluated the quality of teacher-student interactions in classrooms implementing Every Child Ready Program and classrooms that implemented “business as usual” curriculum and professional development. Findings demonstrated that teachers who implement the Every Child Ready instructional model out performed non-ECR classrooms in the CLASS Instructional Support domain (b = 0.67, p < .001). This difference was present for all three Instructional Support dimensions (Concept Development, Quality of Feedback, and Language Modeling), but was especially strong in the area of Concept Development (b = .78, p <.001).
Level 4: Demonstrates a Rationale
A program or practice, under evaluation, that is informed by research
Every Child Ready 2024 Impact Report
This study followed approximately 3,500 preschool children and more than 600 educators across Washington, D.C., Missouri, New York, and Texas during the 2023–2024 school year as they implemented the Every Child Ready program. Program impact was assessed using a pre–post design, comparing outcomes from fall to spring. Results indicated substantial growth for both three-year-old (PK3) and four-year-old (PK4) children, with gains exceeding 30 percent in mathematics, language, and literacy domains. Children also demonstrated meaningful improvements in social behavior; for example, PK4 students increased from “often” to “almost always” displaying positive behavioral skills. Children who participated in the program for two consecutive years outperformed those with only one year of exposure, identifying an average of four additional letters and five additional letter sounds. In addition, teachers implementing Every Child Ready exceeded national benchmarks for instructional quality across all domains measured by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS).
Research Briefs and Case Studies
The Impact of Every Child Ready Pre-K: Dream Kindergarten Data Analysis
This report examines the impact of the Every Child Ready (ECR) prekindergarten program on children’s readiness for kindergarten. Researchers analyzed assessment data from DREAM Public Charter School, comparing i-Ready fall assessment scores of students who attended an ECR pre-K program with those of students who attended a non-ECR pre-K program. Results showed that children from ECR classrooms scored more than 10 percentile points higher than their peers in both mathematics and English language arts (ELA).
Get Ready to Learn Feasibility Study
This report presents findings from a feasibility study of Get Ready to Learn, a four-week component of the Every Child Ready program designed to support preschool children’s adjustment to school and development of social-emotional skills. Researchers assessed teacher practice and child outcomes prior to the start of the program and again at its conclusion. Results indicated meaningful improvements over the four-week period. Teachers demonstrated significant gains in Emotional Support and Classroom Organization, with average scores increasing from the mid-range to the high-range, reflecting more positive, well-structured, and supportive classroom environments. In addition, children showed notable growth in social-emotional competencies, including initiative-taking and relationship-building skills. On a five-point scale of positive behavior, children’s average scores increased from 2.8 to 4.
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